The Virginia Wesleyan University men's basketball team (4-3, 1-0 ODAC) claim their first conference win of the 2024-25 season with a 63-52 win over EMU.
Khai Seargeant led the team with 18 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-6 from the free throw line; he had two rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Demeir Pollard had 11 points, shot 4-for-7 from the field, and 3-for-4 from three-point territory, had three rebounds, and one assist.
Waylo Wilson got his first double-double this season with 10 points, 11 rebounds, one block, and shot 3-for-4 from the field, and teammate
Omari DeVeaux tallied 10 points, shooting 3-for-7 from the field, 2-for-3 from deep, and 2-for-4 from the charity stripe; he had four rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
The Marlins started well, as they went up 4-0 with layups from
Waylo Wilson and
Omari DeVeaux. However, the Royals fought back with a 9-2 run to lead 9-6. A scoring drought hit both teams until the Marlins scored a jumper, which was answered with a three from EMU to lead 12-8. Virginia Wesleyan's offense caught fire as they went on a 13-2 run making four three-pointers with nine points coming from
Khai Seargeant to put the Marlins up 21-14 with 8:50 left in the first half.
After several scoreless minutes, the Marlins went on a 10-5 run to lead 31-21 with 1:26 left in the half. EMU hit a last-minute layup to cut the lead to 31-23 to head into the break down 8.
The Royals came out in the second half strong, going on a 7-3 run to cut the lead to 34-30. VWU responded with a 7-3 run over the next four minutes to increase their lead to 41-33. EMU never gave up and outscored the Marlins 8-2 to cut the lead to 43-41. The Marlins offense exploded making four threes, outscoring the visitors 12-4 to extend their lead to 55-45.
Down big, the Royals started to foul to get back into the game and helped the Marlins go on a 5-0 run to lead 60-45 with 3:12 left in the game. The Royals made two three-pointers to help their 7-3 run but were unable to mount a comeback, and the Marlins won 63-52.
