LEXINGTON, Va. -- Fatigue could have been a major for of the Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins as they headed into their fifth game in 10 days Monday at Washington and Lee University.

But, the Marlins, who moved up to the No. 3 spot nationally earlier in the day, laced up the shoes once again and stepped onto the Warner Center court to defeat both fatigue and the host Generals, 92-76 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play.

The victory, VWC's 22nd in a row in the series with W&L, improved the Marlins' overall record to 17-2 and kept the Fish in first place in the ODAC standings at 9-1.  Washinton and Lee dropped to 11-8 overall and to 4-6 in the league.

The Generals made a game of it, however, battling back from a nine-point deficit late in the game to tie the score at 64 on a pair of free throws by Javon McDonald (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) and again at 66 on a McDonald layup.

But, senior Art Crew (Williamsburg, Va./Lafayette) answered for VWC with a three-point play on the next possession to give the Marlins the lead for the final seven minutes of the game.  Chris Astorga (Suffolk, Va./Virginia Beach Cape Henry Collegiate), D.J. Woodmore (Virginia Beach/Landstown), Tre' Ford (Falls Church, Va./J.E.B. Stuart), and Crew all scored in a 14-3 VWC run that pushed the Marlins out to an 80-69 lead with 3:56 on the clock.

Virginia Wesleyan out-scored Washington and Lee 26-10 in the final seven minutes to run away with the contest. 

The visiting Marlins led throughout most of the game, building a 22-11 lead midway through the first half, featuring some big scores from junior Chris Teasley (Newport News, Va./Menchville) and Crew.  W&L came back though, riding the scoring of Jeremy Adkins (Huntington, W.Va./Spring Valley), Drew Kimberly (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlow), and McDonald to take the lead at 36-33.

Virginia Wesleyan shook it all in a hurry, and out-scored the Generals 8-0 in the final 1:43  to take a 44-39 lead at halftime.  Senior Rakeem Davis (Chespeake, Va./Deep Creek) hit a layup and senior Jason Burns (Clinton, Md./Frederick Douglass) and Crew nailed timely triples in that closing run by the Marlins.

It was a night when depth dominated for Virginia Wesleyan, as six Marlins scored in double figures, led by Woodmore with 18 points.  His effort included a 6-of-6 showing at the free throw lines and nine rebounds, his second highest total of the season.  Teasley followed with 16 points, including a season-high four triples in six attempts.  Astorga added 15 points and recorded season highs of nine rebounds and three assists; Crew matched a season-high with 13 points, hitting a trio of triples; and senior Donald Vaughn (Woodbridge, Va./Dumfries Potomac) tallied 12 points. 

Virginia Wesleyan enjoyed a strong shooting night, hitting 54.7% for the game, including a 52.4% from three-point range (11x21).  The Marlins also hit 23-of-27 free throws.

Washington and Lee, which shot 42% for the game, hit 21-of-29 free throws, led by McDonald's 9-of-11 showing.  That was part of a 28-point effort overall.  Adkins added 12 points for the Generals and Larry Whitaker (Bartlett, Ill./Batlett) scored 11 and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Virginia Wesleyan returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 4, playing at Roanoke College at 2 p.m. in an ODAC game.

--AMDG--