The Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball team (4-5, 0-3 ODAC) put forward a strong performance against the Quakers of Guilford College, but lost steam in the fourth quarter, losing 65-51.
Brianna Long was the top performer for the Marlins, hitting a career-high 21 points; she went 10-for-14 from the field and 1-for-5 from three-point territory; she also recorded ten rebounds and three steals.
Keagan Schwab contributed 13 points, going 5-for-12 from the field, 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-4 from the free throw line; Schwab grabbed five rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The first quarter began with both teams exchanging layups.
Keagan Schwab made a jumper to give the Marlins a 4-2 lead, but the Guilford responded with a three to go up 5-4. Between 7:55 and 3:34, the Marlins strung together a 9-0 scoring run to earn a 14-5 lead as they capitalized on rebounds. Guilford quickly reversed the tide with a run of their own at the conclusion of the quarter to lead 19-16.
Guilford scored the first basket of the second quarter to extend their lead to 21-16. Between 7:39 and 5:51, the Marlins outscored the Quakers 7-2 to level the game at 23-23. After a two-minute scoring drought, Guilford scored a layup to go up 25-23, but Virginia Wesleyan fought back to regain the lead for the first time in the second quarter with a score of 27-25. The Quakers responded with a layup and two made free throws to gain a two-point lead with 1:07 left on the clock. Guilford took advantage of foul shots to take a 31-28 lead going into halftime.
The Quakers extended their lead to six at the start of the third quarter, but the Marlins continued to apply pressure, minimizing to three with 7:55 on the clock as
Brianna Long scored a layup. Guilford outscored Virginia Wesleyan 5-2 between 7:55 and 6:17 to take a 41-35 lead. Long and Blaylock made back-to-back layups, and Schwab scored off a jumper to go 7-0 and tie the game at 41-41 with 3:36 on the clock. Guilford kept the Marlins from scoring for the rest of the quarter and went up 46-41.
The final quarter started with a scoring run by the Quakers as they claimed a ten-point lead within the first fifteen seconds of play.
Brianna Long fought back for the Marlins with two consecutive layups to put the Marlins within six points with 7:46 on the clock. Guilford responded with a 9-2 run between 7:25 and 5:27 to grab a thirteen-point lead. The Marlins continued to pressure the Quakers, but Guilford held onto control, winning 65-51.
Next, the Marlins face the Newport News Apprentice School on Tuesday, December 17 at 5 p.m.
