VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia - The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team fell to the Maroons of Roanoke College 64-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Jane P. Batten Student Center in Virginia Beach, Va. The Marlins move to 2-10 overall and 1-5 in ODAC competition while the Maroons improved to 9-4 and 4-2.

GAME INFORMATION
The game against the Maroons is the second game in three days as VWU was on the road at Emory & Henry on Thursday, January 2. With the loss, the Marlins dropped their fifth consecutive contest despite very competitive play from the team.

INSIDE THE SCORE
The game began with the Marlins getting on the scoreboard first following a layup from Sabrina Jones. The teams traded baskets but VWU found themselves leading by five points, 12-7, with 4:39 remaining in the opening quarter. The Maroons pulled within one point a few times but did not take the lead from the Marlins until Molly Hassell converted all three free-throws giving RC a 19-18 lead. Virginia Wesleyan went into the second quarter with a slim 20-19 lead following a jumper by Logan Carter.

The two squads traded points through the opening eight minutes of the second quarter and tied the game up at 27 all with 2:36 remaining in the half. Morgan Micallef tallied four points for her Maroons to go ahead 31-27 but VWU got the last basket in before the horn on a layup from Mak McSweeney to trail 31-29 at the half.

Roanoke started the second half with a pair of free throws opening a four-point lead 33-29. The Marlins responded with six straight points to take the 35-33 advantage with 7:40 left in the third. The teams proceeded to trade baskets passing the lead back and forth six times before the Maroons held on to the lead from the 5:14 mark until the 1:24 mark when VWU claimed a 46-44 lead following a three-pointer from Bianca Atkinson. A jumper by Jones put the Marlins ahead 48-44 and at the end of the third quarter, Virginia Wesleyan held a two-point lead of 48-46.

VWU opened up a six-point lead, 52-46, to start the final ten minutes of action but quickly saw it disappear as Roanoke went on a 9-0 run to lead 55-52 until there was only 2:30 remaining on the clock. Sierra Coleman made a layup to end the scoreless drought and pulling VWU within a point but the lead extended back to four after a layup and free throw for the Maroons. Jessica Jennings scored the last points for VWU at the 1:31 mark and after that, the basket went cold as Roanoke went on to win 64-56.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
All five of the Virginia Wesleyan starters, Bianca Atkinson, Jessica Jennings, Logan Carter, Sabrina Jones, and Sierra Coleman, recorded eight points in the contest. Coleman led the team with eight rebounds.

ROANOKE LEADERS
Whitney Hopson and Ayanna Scarborough led the Maroons with 15 and 14 points respectively. Kristina Harrel had a team-high seven rebounds to go with her eight points.

KEY MOMENT
The key moment of the game came in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter when Roanoke went on an 18-4 run closing out the game and claiming the victory over VWU.

UP NEXT
Virginia Wesleyan is back in action on Tuesday, January 7, when they return to the Jane P. Batten Student Center for an ODAC matchup against the Royals of Eastern Mennonite University.