The Virginia Wesleyan University men's basketball team (3-0) defeated conference foe Randolph-Macon 49-44 in the final game of the Townebank Tip-Off Tournament.
The 2023 Townebank Tip-Off All-Tournament Team:
- Jordan Oates (Salisbury)
- Jabril Robinson (RMC)
- Daniel Mbangue (RMC)
- Miles Wallace (VWU)
- Waylo Wilson (VWU)
- Omari Deveaux named MVP from VWU
The Marlins offense was led by Omai DeVeaux who scored 21 points, shooting 6-for-14 from the field, shooting 9-for-11 from the free throw line, had five rebounds, and two assists, Miles Wallace scored eight points, shooting 2-for-6 from the field, and shot 4-for-4 from the free throw line, recorded two rebounds, and one assist, and Waylo Wilson scored eight points shooting 3-for-7 from the field, grabbing eight rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one assist.
Keys to the Game:
- The Marlins outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 40-29, with 10 offensive rebounds compared to RMC's five, which led to eight second-chance points from the Marlins compared to two for the Yellow Jackets.
- Virginia Wesleyan had 12 fast break points compared to Randolph-Macon's five.
- The Yellow Jackets shot 10-for-18 from the charity stripe, compared to the Marlins 19-21.
- Each team shot 31.3 percent from the floor, in a defensive game that had 14 lead changes and seven ties.
How It Happened:
Both teams came out with a defensive mindset, but early the offenses were able to score. The Marlins scored first, but Macon went on a 5-2 run to lead 5-4 with 16:32 left in the game. The Yellow Jackets kept up the pressure and built a 10-6 lead over the next three minutes.
Virginia Wesleyan responded with a 5-0 run to take an 11-10 lead at the 7:31 mark. A good layup from Randolph-Macon gave them a 12-11 lead, but the Marlins came back with a three-point play from Deveaux to lead 14-12. The teams traded points in the final three minutes of the first half to take a 22-21 lead into the break.
The Yellow Jacket outscored the Marlins 5-4 to tie the game at 26 all and went on to take a 30-26 lead over the host with a 4-0 run. Midway through the half the Yellow Jackets had built a 38-32 lead and looked to be in control of the game until the Marlins went on a 13-1 run for their biggest lead of the game leading 45-39. The Marlins were clutch down the stretch going 6-for-6 in free throws to seal to 49-44 win over the Yellow Jackets.
