The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team (4-4) lost to conference opponent, Shenandoah University, by a score of 66-53.
Sophomore,
Maesyn Blaylock, led the Marlins with 17 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field, 1-for-1 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line; she registered four rebounds and five steals.
Jaiden Hunter contributed 12 points to the team, going 6-for-11 from the field and recording five rebounds and three steals.
Brianna Long tallied seven points, making 2-for-3 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line; Long totaled five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The Marlins and Hornets exchanged buckets at the beginning of the first quarter with Virginia Wesleyan leading 5-4 with 8:18 on the clock. Then the Hornets went on a 7-0 scoring run to lead 11-5 with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. The Marlins responded with three consecutive baskets by
Jaiden Hunter,
Keagan Schwab, and
Jada Norman to tie the game 11-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams struggled to find the net at the beginning of the second quarter with
Jaiden Hunter making the first basket at 5:35 to put the Marlins ahead 13-11. The Hornets outscored the Marlins 5-2 between 4:21 and 3:40 to capture an 18-15 lead, but the Marlins quickly reversed the momentum as
Maesyn Blaylock scored a jumper followed by two made free throws by
Gabrielle Athy to lead once again by a score of 19-18. Shenandoah ended the quarter with another 5-2 scoring run to enter halftime with a 23-20 lead.
The Hornets started the third quarter with a layup to take a five-point lead.
Jaiden Hunter brought the Marlins back within a point as she scored back-to-back baskets, but the Hornets capitalized off missed jumpers and turnovers to once again stretch their lead to five with 6:16 on the clock. The Marlins fought back as
Gabrielle Athy stole the ball and passed it to
Maesyn Blaylock for a layup, minimizing Shenandoah's lead to 31-30 with 4:38 on the clock. However, the Shenandoah offense outplayed Virginia Wesleyan to end the quarter with an 11-5 run, bringing the score to 42-35 for the Hornets.
Shenandoah had a strong start to the fourth quarter to find a double-digit lead for the first time in the game with 8:55 on the clock.
Keagan Schwab's three-pointer followed up with a layup from
Jaiden Hunter showed the Hornets that the game was far from over, bringing the score to 46-40. Shenandoah made the most of a turnover, going 9-2 between 5:10 and 3:17 to break away with a 58-42 lead. The Marlins continued to apply pressure, but Shenandoah maintained their lead, winning 66-53.
Next, the Marlins face Guilford College at home on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
