The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team (3-0) defeated non-conference opponent Marymount 68-54.
The Marlins' offense was led by
Brianna Long with 28 points, shooting 10-for-17 from the floor, 8-for-11 from the free throw line, and registered 15 rebounds.
Maesyn Blaylock tallied 12 points, shooting 4-for-12 from the field, 4-for-4 from the free throw line, had one rebound, five steals, and two assists.
Jaiden Hunter was the third Marlin with double-digit points with 11, shooting 4-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-4 from the charity stripe, recorded eight rebounds, and two steals.
Marymount started the game well and jumped out to a 5-2 lead four minutes into the game. However, Virginia Wesleyan countered wth a 9-0 run to hold an 11-5 lead at the 2:33 mark in the first quarter. Each team scored four points the rest of the quarter to give the Marlins a 15-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Marlins came out hot in the second quarter, going on a 10-4 run to hold a 25-13 lead with 6:55 left in the quarter. Over the next three minutes, each team scored four points to bring the score to 29-19. Neither team scored the rest of the half.
Marymount found its groove in the third quarter and chipped away at the Marlins' lead to bring the score to 38-34 at the 4:23 mark. However, the Marlins responded with a 6-0 run to lead 44-34 with 2:08 in the quarter. The Saints outscored the Marlins 6-4 to cut the lead to 47-40 heading into the final frame.
Virginia Wesleyan rallied to start the fourth quarter and went on an 11-3 run to lead 56-43 at the 7:09 mark in the fourth. VWU held a double-digit lead the rest of the way, and with good defense and clutch free throws the Marlins sealed the 68-54 win.
