EMORY, Virginia - The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team fell to the Wasps of Emory & Henry College 76-59 on Thursday afternoon in Emory, Va. The Marlins move to 2-9 overall and 1-4 in ODAC competition while the Wasps improved to 10-1 and 4-0.

GAME INFORMATION
The game against the Wasps was the first for the Marlins since Dec. 15, 2019, against the Captains of CNU. With the loss, the Marlins dropped their fourth consecutive contest.

INSIDE THE SCORE
Emory & Henry opened the game on an 8-0 run before the Marlins found their first basket from Bianca Atkinson at 6:38 on the clock. The Wasps took an 11 point lead with five and a half to play, but VWU fought back within three points, 13-10, following an 8-0 run of their own. The teams exchanged a few more baskets and ended the opening 10 minutes with E&H leading 16-12.

Virginia Wesleyan scored the first basket of the second quarter to pull within two points of Emory & Henry, but the Wasps put up six quick points taking their largest lead of the quarter, eight points, with 6:12 remaining in the half. A layup by Latroya Gravely and a three from Jessica Jennings cut the lead to three-points, 22-19, before E&H reclaimed a seven-point lead following a 6-2 run. The final three minutes saw the teams trade baskets with the Marlins staying within four-points of the Wasps, but a three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining in the half put E&H ahead 37-30 at the horn.

The Marlins started the third quarter with a three-pointer that pulled VWU within four points 37-33. The Wasps responded with a 12-0 run that extended their lead to 16-points (49-33) by the 5:20 mark. Danielle Lehner connected on a jump shot and followed with a pair of free throws to stop the scoreless drought for the Marlins while closing the Wasp lead to 12 points, 49-37. E&H went on an 11-3 run that opened a 20-point lead 60-40 to conclude the third quarter.

The Marlins outscored the Wasps in the fourth quarter 19-16, but Emory & Henry's lead was too large to overcome as Virginia Wesleyan fell in their first game of the new year 76-59.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
VWU was led by Sabrina Jones with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jessica Jennings was the only other Marlin to reach double-digits scoring 12 points in the contest.

EMORY & HENRY LEADERS
Sydney McKinney and Peyton Williams led the scoring for the Wasps with 18 and 16 points respectively. Alexis Hoppers had a game-high 11 rebounds for E&H.

KEY MOMENT
The key moment of the game came in the third quarter when the Wasps went on a 12-0 run in the opening five minutes taking a 49-33 lead over the Marlins.

UP NEXT
Virginia Wesleyan returns to the friendly confines of the Jane P. Batten Student Center on Saturday, January 4, when they host ODAC opponent Roanoke College. The Maroons and Marlins meet at center court for a 2 PM tipoff.