ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina - The Virginia Wesleyan University men's basketball team fell in it's first game of the 2021 year to the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan College 75-62 in Rocky Mount, NC. The Marlins were led by senior Tyree Golston with 18 points as VWU falls to 0-2 on the season. 

INSIDE THE SCORE
After an early 5-5 tie, the Battling Bishops pulled ahead of the Marlins after a 13-0 run that put NCWC up 18-5 with 13:34 to go in the opening half. VWU scored five points to climb within eight points, 18-10, but the Battling Bishops pulled ahead 26-10 with 6:40 before the halftime buzzer. Over the next three minutes NCWC increased their lead to 20 points, 32-12, and by the time the clock hit zero, the Battling Bishops held a 25 point lead, 43-18.

The Marlins came out of the halftime break on an 8-0 run cutting the NCWC lead to 17 points, 43-26, with 17:37 remaining. The Battling Bishops regained their 20-point lead and held on to the advantage until the 12 minute mark neared when Tyree Golston hit a three-pointer to put the score at 54-37 forcing an NCWC timeout. VWU pulled within 14 points, putting the score at 54-40 (11:34) and stayed within 12-15 points of the Battling Bishops the remainder of the game. Unfortunately the Marlins fell short as NCWC ended the game with a 75-62 victory. 

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Marlins were led by senior Tyree Golston with 18 points, three steals, and two assists, while Tim Fisher added 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Lamont Steward scored eight points and six rebounds. 

NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Battling Bishops were led by Damon McDowell with 25 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Lewis joined McDowell with 20+ points scoring 21 points, with 12 rebounds and four blocks. Tim Pettiford and Brayden Dixon each scored double-digits adding 13 and 10 points respectively. 

KEY MOMENT
The key moment of the game came during the first half of the contest when the Battling Bishops opened up a 20+ point lead that the Marlins could not overcome. 

UP NEXT
The Virginia Wesleyan Marlins will return to action on Wednesday, January 20, when they travel to Salisbury, MD, for a non-conference game against the Seagulls of Salisbury University.