Third Quarter Run Leads W&L to a 65-58 victory over the Marlins

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball team started fast against Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) rival Washington and Lee with an explosive first period, going up 19-5. They built off this momentum by taking a lead into halftime. However, the Generals run at the end of the third quarter would give them a lead that they wouldn't relinquish as they won 65-58 Saturday afternoon.

This game was also the Marlins annual "Pink Game" which provides awareness for breast cancer through the Play4Kay foundation. The Marlins also took the opportunity to recognize member of the Marlin family, Jodi Bryant, who is battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma for the second time.  

The Marlins opened the game with a very strong first quarter.  At the 4:59 mark Virginia Wesleyan would go on a 12-2 run to end the period, which culminated with a Kelly Jones three-pointer right before time expired to give VWC a commanding 19-5 lead. 

Naaemah Morris and Jones led this early push for the Marlins with seven and six points respectively.  The Marlins also outshot the Generals from the field as they shot 50%, while Washington and Lee shot a lowly 16.7% thanks to the VWC defensive pressure.  It was a strong team performance overall for Wesleyan in the opening period, which help them take a 28-22 lead into halftime.   

The Generals proved they wouldn't go away with an impressive third quarter bolstered by a 10-3 run to end the frame.  Ailyn Kelly's jump shot at the 1:54 mark gave Washington and Lee a lead they would hold on to until the final whistle. 

The third quarter, as a whole proved to be a reversal of fortunes for the Marlins as they shot a dismal 29.4% from the floor while dealing with the W&L pressure, while the Generals missed only four shots en route to shooting over 70% from the field.

The Marlins would cut the Generals lead to four on a Jayla Harris three-pointer with 5:37 left in regulation, making the score 53-49.  This would be as close as they got in the final frame with Washington and Lee maintaining control in an evenly contested final period.

Kelly finished with a team-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds for Washington and Lee (12-9/7-5).  Paige Corvino also added 15 points with nine rebounds.

Jones paced the Marlins with 14 points. Morris finished with 11 points. Alexis Platt also poured in 12 points. Each of the three had five rebounds.

Virginia Wesleyan (8-12/6-6) travels to Randolph Macon (9-11/5-7) to face the Yellow Jackets in an ODAC contest Tuesday at 7 p.m.