VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team fell to the Royals of Eastern Mennonite University 60-58 in an overtime nail-biter on Saturday afternoon at TowneBank Arena in Virginia Beach, VA. Four Marlins recorded double-digit figures led by
Sarah Ellis and
Adaje Williams with 13 points apiece.
INSIDE THE SCORE
Score: Eastern Mennonite 60 - Virginia Wesleyan 58 - Overtime
Records: Virginia Wesleyan 6-13, 2-10 | Eastern Mennonite 8-12, 3-10
Location: Virginia Beach, VA | TowneBank Arena
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game between the two teams was tight from the very beginning with neither team taking more than a five-point advantage throughout the game. The Marlins opened the scoring with a three-pointer from
Logan Carter but the Royals caught up with three quick baskets taking a 6-5 lead (6:49).
Sarah Ellis evened the score at six all on a free throw and from there the teams went back and forth trading baskets until VWU's
Jada Norman connected on back-to-back three-pointers giving the Marlins a five-point lead, 16-11. A short while later,
Lenah Clements gave VWU a six-point lead, 19-13, after making a three of her own. EMU came back to even the score at 19 all but a layup by
Meadow Dyke with just under a minute to go gave Virginia Wesleyan a two-point lead, 21-19, heading into the second quarter.
After the score tied twice early in the second, the Royals claimed a three-point lead following a three-pointer that put the score at 26-23. VWU answered with six consecutive points taking a three-point lead of their own, 29-26, before EMU came back to take a 30-29 advantage with 3:54 on the clock.
Adaje Williams evened the score at 30 all on a free throw while Dyke gave the Marlins a 32-30 lead with 1:01 on the clock. A pair of Royal free throws knotted the score once again, 32 all, as the teams entered the halftime break.
Neither team claimed an advantage until about the 6:40 mark when EMU scored a three-pointer taking a 39-36 lead. The Marlins closed that to one point following a layup from Ellis, but Eastern Mennonite opened up a four-point lead, 44-40 (4:18) after a 5-2 run. Virginia Wesleyan added three more points the remainder of the third quarter and headed into the fourth quarter trailing by one, 44-43.
The Marlins came back to take the lead three minutes into the fourth quarter leading 47-46 at the seven-minute mark. By the 4:24 mark, the teams were sitting neck-and-neck at 50 points. Neither team scored for the next three minutes until EMU scored a layup with a minute left. With less than two seconds remaining Ellis scored a jumper to tied the score at the buzzer forcing overtime.
VWU came out on a four-point run going up 56-52 with 3:31 on the clock. A pair of Dyke free throws kept the Marlins ahead by three, 58-55 (1:58). The Royals used the final two minutes to score five unanswered points taking the lead and the victory 60-58.
KEY STATS
Four Marlins recorded double-digit figures led by
Sarah Ellis and
Adaje Williams with 13 points apiece.
Jada Norman added 12 points of her own while
Meadow Dyke rounded out the top scorers with 10 points. Williams led the team with 14 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team returns to action on Monday, January 30, when they host the Eagles of Bridgewater College at TowneBank Arena. The tipoff time is set for 5:30 PM in Virginia Beach, VA.
