The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team (2-0) defeated Methodist 89-76 for its second win of the season.
The Marlins' offense was led by
Brianna Long who had 17 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field, 3-for7 from the free throw line, tallied 11 rebounds, one block, and one steal.
Bre Robinson was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, shooting 7-for-15 from the field, 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-2 from the charity stripe, with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Jaiden Hunter recorded 10 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field, 2-for-5 from the free throw line, eight rebounds, five steals, and two blocks.
In the first quarter, the Marlins started strong, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead at the 8:21 mark and followed that run with a 4-2 run to extend their lead to 9-2 midway through the first quarter. The Monarchs scored the next two baskets to bring the score to 9-6, but Virginia Wesleyan rallied and ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to hold a 15-6 lead in the first quarter.
Methodist started hot in the second quarter as they scored a three and then a good jump shot to cut the Marlins' lead down to 15-11. Over the next three minutes, the Marlins rallied, going on a 9-4 run to hold a 24-15 lead with 3:52 left in the quarter. The host outscored the Marlins 4-3 the rest of the quarter, but VWU held a 27-19 lead heading into the break.
The Monarchs started the third quarter hot, going on a 5-0 run to cut the Marlins' lead to 27-24. However, Virginia Wesleyan responded with a 6-0 run to bring the score to 33-24 at the 5:10 mark. The rest of the quarter, the two teams were trading points to give VWU a 39-29 lead heading into the final frame.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Methodist went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 41-36, but the Marlins responded with a 7-0 run to open up the lead to 48-36 with 3:55 left in the game. VWU went on a 4-3 run to hold a 52-39 lead at the 2:22 mark, but the Monarchs went on a 5-0 run the rest of the game to cut the Marlins' lead to 52-44, but ran out of time as VWU claimed the 52-44 win.
