The Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball team (3-1) cruised to a 98-67 win against the Royals of Regent University. The Marlins were led by
Waylo Wilson who scored 15 points, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free throw line; Wilson earned two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal.
Paul Anderson tallied 14 points, going 5-for-9 from the field, 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-1 from the free throw line; Anderson totaled five rebounds, two assists, one block, and two steals.
Elijah Gardner also scored 14 points as he shot 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point territory; Gardner registered two rebounds and one assist.
Amari Moorer had an impressive day with 12 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and tallying seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
Waylo Wilson was solid in the paint with three layups within the first 90 seconds of the game.
Khai Seargeant solidified the Marlins lead with a 3-pointer at 18:13, bringing the score to 9-2. The Royals responded with a 5-0 scoring run between 18:13 and 15:39. Freshman
TJ East made a three-pointer that reversed the momentum back in favor of the home team.
Jeremiah Boateng made two free throws to put the Marlins ahead 14-7.
A series of five three-pointers that took place between 13:33 and 11:42, two of which were made by
Demeir Pollard, increased the intensity of the game on both sides of the court. Coming out of a timeout,
Waylo Wilson and
Amari Moorer sent a strong message to the opposing team with back-to-back dunks. Consecutive three-pointers by
Khai Seargeant and another dunk by
Amari Moorer gave the Marlins a convincing 35-18 lead.
Regent responded with a 7-0 scoring run to put themselves within 10 points of the Marlins with 6:34 on the clock in the first half.
Paul Anderson took charge for Virginia Wesleyan with a fast-break layup and two three-pointers, to highlight the minutes before halftime. The Marlins ended the half with a score of 52-39.
The Royals had a strong start to the second half minimizing the gap to eight points as they went on a 9-4 scoring run. VWU responded with solid plays, earning back their large lead with
Waylo Wilson's back-to-back layup, dunk, and free throw. Jumpers by
Omari DeVeaux,
Amari Moorer, and
Elijah Gardner put the Marlins ahead 80-57, enlarging the gap to 23 points.
Gardner's back-to back-three-pointers carried the Marlin momentum late in the second half. The Marlin bench, including
Jayson Williams,
Brayden Thorne,
Aaron Brown,
Miles Hancock, and
Malcolm Velmar, held the Royals to just three points in the last three minutes of the game, securing the 98-67 victory in the TowneBank Arena.
