SALEM, Virginia - The No. 23 VWU men's basketball team defeated the Maroons of Roanoke College 67-62 on Saturday afternoon in ODAC competition in Salem, Va. The Marlins move to 14-2 overall and 6-1 in ODAC competition, while the Maroons are now 11-5 and 5-2.d3hoop

INSIDE THE SCORE
The game began with Corey Pelham hitting a three-pointer to put the Marlins on the board first 35 seconds into the game. The Maroons and Marlins traded points back and forth over the next seven minutes with the score sitting tied at 11 all with 12:17 until the horn. Ethan Rohan game RC a slim one-point lead following a free throw but Virginia Wesleyan responded by going on a 10-0 run taking a 21-12 lead following a jumper by Tim Fisher at 6:49. Four points by Efosa Edosomwan brought the Maroons within five points of VWU with just over three and a half to play in the opening half. Roanoke led with a 7-6 run closing out the final minutes of the first half and trailed Virginia Wesleyan by four, 27-23, at the break.

The second half began with the Marlins opening a seven-point lead 36-29 over the Maroons by the 16:47 point. Four quick points by Roanoke on two free throws and a layup pulled them right back within three 36-33. RC kept chipping away at the VWU lead until a basket by Edosomwan at 13:57 gave the Maroons their first lead since the opening half going up 39-38. A Tripp Greene basket put RC up 41-38, however, the Marlins remained calm and collected and played their game coming back to reclaim the lead 44-41 on a 6-0 run of four free throws and a layup by Percy Burt. Roanoke closed the gap to one, 46-45, following a 4-2 stint, but the Marlins took off from there going on a 6-0 run over three-minutes to lead 52-45 with 6:20 remaining. The Marlins held a five to seven-point lead throughout the rest of the game despite the Maroons fighting to stay alive as VWU held on to win 67-62.

NO. 23 VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Marlins were led by Tim Fisher with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five rebounds. Daniel Spencer tallied 15 points while Percy Burt and Corey Pelham each added 14 apiece. 

ROANOKE LEADERS
The Maroons were led by Tripp Greene who collected 16 points. Caleb Johnson, Efosa Edosomwan, and Kojack Thompson each joined Greene in double-digits with 13, 12, and 10 respectively. Ethan Rohan led the boards with 14 rebounds for the Maroons.

KEY MOMENT
The key moment of the game came during the 9:00 to 6:20 window when the Marlins went on a 6-0 lead taking a seven-point lead that was just large enough to stave off the Maroons.

UP NEXT
No. 23 Virginia Wesleyan returns to Virginia Beach for a home game against No. 6 Randolph-Macon College on Wednesday, January 22. The Yellow Jackets and Marlins meet at 7 PM in the Jane P. Batten Student Center for a midweek ODAC contest between nationally ranked opponents.