Fourth Quarter Rally Carries Marlins over Maroons

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Virginia Wesleyan College women's basketball team outscored Roanoke College 36-15 in the fourth quarter to defeat the Maroons 77-68 Saturday in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action.

The Marlins trailed by as many as 19 in the game as Roanoke raced out to a 34-15 lead with 4:09 left to play in the second quarter.

Virginia Wesleyan started the second quarter down just 15-12, but a 19-3 run pushed the Maroons lead into double figures. The Marlins rallied to close the gap to just nine points, 37-28, at halftime.

Roanoke kept the Marlins at bay in the third quarter, cling to a double-digit lead while answering the Marlins basket for basket.

The fourth quarter belonged to the hosts though, particularly sophomore guard Jayla Harris who scored 21 points in the final frame. She went 5-8 from the field in the fourth, but was instrumental in the victory by going 9-10 at the free throw line.

Roanoke led 53-41 to start the fourth quarter, but the Marlins cut that lead in half just 72 seconds in the period. Harris started with a three-pointer after an empty Maroon possession. Amanda Gerni then swiped the ball from a Maroon guard, finding NiAsia Caldwell for a traditional three-point play.

The Maroons extended the lead back out to nine points, 56-47, on a Chris Martin jumper with 8:13 to go, but a 15-5 run over the next 5:20 put Virginia Wesleyan up for the first time in the game, 62-61.

Roanoke tied it up a Holleran free throw, but Harris drove the paint once again to convert on a layup and two-point lead with 2:23 left in the contest.

The Marlins continued to get into the paint, converting their final 13 points of the game at the free throw line. VWC went 13-16 from the charity stripe in the final 1:48. Roanoke went 2-3 from the field over that same stretch, but turned the ball over four times to put the game away.

Cary Beahm led Roanoke (6-11/1-7) with 25 points while Allison Livengood and Chris Martin added 14 and 11 respectively.

Harris finished with a career-high of 37 points, topping her previous best of 35 she set against Ferrum earlier this season. Raya Berkley added four points and four assists to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Caldwell finished with 12 points and five rebounds to go with Alexis Platt's eight points, four rebounds, and three steals.

Virginia Wesleyan (11-6/6-2) hosts Lynchburg College (14-3/8-0) Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for an important ODAC contest.

Notes

VWC's 77-point effort is the most against Roanoke since scoring 79 in a win in the 2000-01 season…The 19 points overcame by the Marlins was the most by Virginia Wesleyan since an 18-point rally at Randolph-Macon on January 10 of this year…Harris' 37 points, along with her 35 points against Ferrum combine with Amanda Gerni's 38 against Hollins to give this year's squad three of VWC's five all-time highest scoring efforts…The Marlins are now 25-43 against Roanoke and have won the last three in the series…This is fourth-straight win at home over the Maroons, a streak that dates back to 2010-11.