The Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball team (2-2) edged past Methodist University by a single point on day 2 of the TowneBank Tipoff Tournament, winning 53-52.
Keagan Schwab led the Marlins offense with 25 points, shooting 8-for-19 from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point territory, and 5-for-6 from the free throw line; she recorded three rebounds, one assist, and three steals.
Jaiden Hunter was a key player for the Marlins, scoring seven points; she was 3-for-7 from the field and 1-for-6 from the free throw line; Hunter tallied 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Virginia Wesleyan took an early lead in the first quarter over Methodist.
Keagan Schwab's 3-pointer with 7:11 on the clock gave the Marlins a convincing 9-3 lead. Methodist responded with an 11-0 scoring run to take the lead 14-9 with 3:29 left. A 3-pointer by the Marlins'
Jada Norman followed by a layup by
Brianna Long leveled the game at 14-14. Methodist made a jumper to end the first quarter up 16-14.
Methodist extended their lead to 18-14 to begin the second quarter, but the rest of the half was controlled by an aggressive Virginia Wesleyan offense. Between 5:56 and 1:47 the Marlins dominated with a 12-0 scoring run to put them up 32-21.
Mekayla Clarke's breakaway sealed the Marlins' lead 34-23 going into halftime.
Second half play saw strong defensive play from both teams with a scoreless first two minutes. Methodist outscored Virginia Wesleyan 10-8 in the 3rd quarter to minimize the Marlins' lead to nine points going into the final quarter.
Methodist began the fourth quarter with a jumper to put them within 7 points of the Marlins. Two made free throws by Schwab extended Virginia Wesleyan's lead to eight points with 6:29 remaining in the game, but Methodist followed up with a 6-0 scoring run to put them just two points behind the Marlins. Once again, Virginia Wesleyan fought back and tallied six points in a row, to go up 50-42 with 2:54 on the clock. Methodist scored three clutch 3-pointers between 1:30 and 0:25 to put themselves within a point of the Marlins. Methodist gained possession in the last seconds of the game, but couldn't make a basket. Virginia Wesleyan maintained their 53-52 lead over Methodist for their second win of the season.
Eight competitors were named to the TowneBank Tipoff All Tournament Team. Marlin players,
Keagan Schwab and
Bre Robinson were selected. Rylie Wade and Pam Mock from Meredith were also named to the All Tournament Team. From Methodist, Kayleen Grullon was recognized. Lastly, Megan Baxter and Rileigh Weaver of Mary Washington were honored, and Juliona Mabie was named MVP.
