Marlins Come up short against Lynchburg

LYNCHBURG, Va.—The Virginia Wesleyan College men's basketball team found itself in a position to tie the game late, but a last second three-pointer would fall short as Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) rival Lynchburg picked up an 80-75 victory, clinching the No. 1 seed in the ODAC tournament in the process.

The first half was a very competitive one with both teams vying for control.  Virginia Wesleyan landed the first big run, with an 11-0 spurt which started at the 16:13 mark in the first half.  This run was led by Tim Jones who scored eight points, which included two three-pointers.  The Marlins would maintain control after this run, but the Hornets stuck around.  After an Omar Kemp layup with 48 seconds left, Lynchburg would hold the lead 40-39.  The Marlins would regain the lead on the next possession after Jones knocks down two free throws, which put a cap on his big first half, as he scored 21 points in the frame. 

The second half, much like the first, was a battle, with neither team able to really pull out in front.  The difference this half, however was Lynchburg was the team in control for the majority.  The Hornets would seize the lead on an Alex Graves jump-shot to open the half.  This turned out to give Lynchburg the lead indefinitely, as they held on until the final whistle. 

Virginia Wesleyan would have a chance to send the game to overtime late.  Virginia Wesleyan, down by five with a little under a minute left to go in regulation, would get a timely basket from Kaelin Poe, which made it a one-possession game.  With the score at 78-75, the Marlins had a chance to tie the game, but Jones' three-pointer would fall short and Lynchburg would pull out the victory.  

The discrepancy in shooting played a factor in this game with Lynchburg outshooting the Marlins to a tune of 48% versus 37%.  

Graves led Lynchburg (19-6/12-4) with 23 points.  Jay Allen added 13 points on 6-7 shooting.

Jones paced the Marlins with 29 points and he also reeled in eight rebounds.  Khory Moore poured in 20 points to go along with seven rebounds. 

The VWC loss caused a tiebreaker at the top of the ODAC standings with both teams possessing 12-4 records with Lynchburg College coming out on top of the Marlins for the top seed in the upcoming ODAC Men's Basketball Tournament.  The LC versus VWC tie required the second step in conference tiebreakers, which awards points based on a five-point scale for wins against all teams in the league.  As two of the top-four seeds, the Hornets and Marlins earn byes through the first round and into the quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center on Friday.

The Marlins (17-8/12-4) will play the winner of No. 7 Randolph-Macon and No. 10 Eastern Mennonite on Friday at 6 p.m. in the ODAC Quarterfinals.