The Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball team (5-9, 1-7 ODAC) fell to Hollins University 69-58 in conference play.
Brianna Long led the Marlins with 19 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line; she had 12 rebounds and one steal.
Keagan Schwab contributed 14 points as she shot 3-for-6 from the field, 3-for-4 from three-point territory, and 5-for-6 from the free throw line; Schwab registered one rebound, three and three assists.
Maesyn Blaylock recorded ten points, going 3-for-8 from the field, 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 4-for-6 from the free throw line; she tallied six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
The Marlins had a strong start to the first quarter of play with
Keagan Schwab making the first three-pointer of the day to put the Marlins up 6-2 with 7:04 on the clock. Hollins responded with a jumper, and then
Maesyn Blaylock followed up with a layup to bring the score to 8-4. Both teams struggled to shoot from the field for the next three minutes of play, but Hollins ended the drought with a layup to tie the game at 8-8. Hollins managed to outscore the home team 6-5 to end the first quarter with a 14-13 advantage.
Mckenzie Wiggings and
Keagan Schwab each made both of their free throws to take a 17-14 lead at the beginning of the second quarter. VWU remained on top until the 6:14 mark where Hollins sunk a three to lead 19-18. The second quarter was evenly matched with neither team gaining more than a two point lead. Hollins led 36-34 at the end of the second quarter.
Hollins started the third quarter with a free throw to extend their lead to 37-34, but
Bre Robinson was quick to respond with a three-pointer to tie the game. From that point, Hollins took control of the period, outscoring the Marlins 19-6.
VWU had a promising start to the final quarter of play as
Mckenzie Wiggins and
Jada Norman made back-to-back layups to bring themselves within nine points of Hollins, but the leading team came right back, making three straight baskets to stretch the lead back to 16. The Marlins created opportunities to come back, bringing themselves within 11 points as
Brianna Long made a layup, but there was not enough time to make up for the deficit.
Next, the Marlins will travel to play Christopher Newport University on Wednesday, January 22 at 6:00 p.m.
