Big Fourth Quarter Carries VWC to Road Win

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Virginia Wesleyan College women's basketball team outscored The Apprentice School by seven points in the fourth quarter to rally for a 72-67 non-conference victory on Thursday.

Apprentice led 49-47 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Marlins made sure that lead did not last long. Crystal Strother scored a traditional three-point play with 8:52 to go, connecting on the free throw for a 50-49 lead.

The teams exchanged the lead over the next several minutes with the Marlins gaining a two-point edge at 4:00 when Amanda Gerni connected on a three-pointer to put VWC up 61-59.

Ylexzis Traeger provided a traditional three-point play for the Builders the next time up the floor, putting Apprentice up by one point again, but that 62-61 lead was the last of the game.

Reagan Holmes tallied a pair of free throws, and Gerni connected on another three, to put Virginia Wesleyan up for good, 66-62, with 2:05 to play.

Following the Traegar three-point play at 3:44, the Marlin defense held the Builders scoreless until 1:18 remained in the game, a decisive set of possessions in determining the outcome.

The Marlins outscored the Builders 25-18 in the final quarter. VWC went 11-11 from the charity stripe in the period, while Apprentice went 2-8.

Traeger led Apprentice (3-5) with a game-high 24 points, while Quanisha Bruce tallied 14 points and 14 rebounds. Jessica Neighbors contributed 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Jayla Harris finished with 23 points for the Marlins, while NiAsia Caldwell contributed 13 points, and Gerni, 12. Strother had a balanced line of seven points, seven rebounds, and seven assists off the bench.

Virginia Wesleyan (5-3) will break for final exams before traveling to Christopher Newport University on December 30 for a 2 p.m. non-conference start.