Box Score VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball team fell to the Maroons of Roanoke College 65-64 on Saturday afternoon at TowneBank Arena in Virginia Beach, VA. Leading the charge for the Marlins was Omari DeVeaux with 18 points and four assists, while Amarion Wilson was close behind with 17 points. 

INSIDE THE SCORE
Result: Roanoke 65 - Virginia Wesleyan 64
Records: Virginia Wesleyan 11-3, 3-3 | Roanoke 12-2, 5-0
Location: TowneBank Arena | Virginia Beach, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Marlins got on the board first following a jumper from Amarion Wilson, however, the Maroons took the lead 4-2 scoring back-to-back baskets. Miles Wallace evened the score on a layup but Roanoke went ahead 8-4 as the clock hit the 16:51 mark. A three-pointer by Wallace put Virginia Wesleyan ahead 9-8 (16:08) but the Maroons responded with back-to-back three-pointers of their own taking a 14-9 lead (14:12). VWU pulled within one, 14-13 (12:39), as Jordan Crump completed a three-point play on a hook shot and free throw combo. Over the next four minutes, the Maroons went on a 7-2 run taking a 21-15 lead as the clock ticked under nine minutes to play in the opening half. Roanoke's lead increased to 11 points. 32-21, at the 4:28 mark and the Maroons held on to an eight-point lead at the break, 39-31.

Roanoke came out of the half reclaiming its double-digit lead 44-33 by the 17:30 mark. The Maroons held a 10-point lead, 50-40 with 13:36 remaining, but the Marlins did not back down as they went on a 20-point rally pulling within one point, 61-60, with 5:12 remaining in regulation. The Maroons went up 63-60 on a turnaround jumper Efosa U-Edosomwan but DeVeaux connected on a pair of free throws to put the score at 63-62. Roanoke scored on a dunk to again take a three-point lead with 3:20 on the clock. A hook shot made by Wilson closed the gap to one, 65-64 with 2:28 on the clock, the last made basket of the game. The teams traded missed baskets and the Marlins rebounded the ball with seven seconds remaining to potentially make the game-winning play and missed on a three-point jumper allowing the Maroons to claim the victory. 

KEY STATS
The Marlins were led by Omari DeVeaux with 18 points and four assists, while Amarion Wilson was close behind with 17 points and led the team with four blocks in the game. Miles Wallace collected 10 points and tied DeVeaux with a pair of steals. Eric Rowland led the team with seven rebounds. 

UP NEXT
Virginia Wesleyan returns to the court again on Wednesday, January 11, when they hit the road to face the Royals of Eastern Mennonite University. Tip-off is set for 5 PM in Harrisonburg, VA.