The Virginia Wesleyan University men's basketball team (9-3, 3-0 ODAC) defeated Franklin & Marshall in a huge second-half comeback, winning 70-66.
Waylo Wilson led the team with 20 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 8-for-11 from the free throw line; he grabbed nine rebounds and five blocks.
Amari Moorer scored 15 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 1-for-3 from the free throw line; eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
Omari DeVeaux registered 13 points, shooting 2-for-10 from the field and 9-for-9 from the charity stripe; two rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The Diplomats came out of the gate on fire going on a 13-0 run in the first five minutes of the game.
Miles Hancock finally scored a layup at the 15:10 mark to put the Marlins on the board. Franklin & Marshall outscored Virginia Wesleyan 15-6 over the next five minutes to lead 28-8.
The Marlins got their offense going and went on a 10-1 run to bring the score to 29-18 with 6:55 left in the first half. The Diplomats went on a 6-2 run over the next two minutes to go up 35-20. In the last five minutes of the first half, the host outscored VWU 7-6 to lead 42-26 after 20 minutes of play.
Coming out in the second half, the Marlins started with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 42-34. The Diplomates responded with a 5-0 run to increase their lead to 47-34, at the 14:43 mark. Over the next five minutes, Virginia Wesleyan outscored Franklin & Marshall 6-1 to cut the lead to 48-40.
VWU continued their hot streak, going on a 9-1 run to tie the game at 49-49 with 6:45 left in the second half. Franklin & Marshall did not make it easy outscored VWU 10-5 over the last three minutes to take a 59-54 lead. A dunk from
Waylo Wilson sparked an 11-2 run from the Marlins to lead 65-61 with 49 seconds left in the game. The Marlins made some clutch free throws, but the Diplomats would not give up and hit a three with under three seconds in the game to bring the score to 68-66.
Omari DeVeaux hit two clutch free throws to seal the 70-66 win over Franklin & Marshall.
