The Virginia Wesleyan University men's basketball team (4-1) defeated Pfeiffer on day one of the CNU Holiday INNvitational by a score of 83-67.
Omari DeVeaux led the Marlins offense with 28 points, shooting 9-for-17 from the floor, 4-for-7 from deep, and 6-for-6 from the free throw line, had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Amari Moorer registered 15 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, 1-for-4 from beyond the arc, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Malcolm Velmar recorded 17 points shooting 5-for-9 from the field, 4-for-8 from three-point territory, 3-for-5 from the charity stripe, one rebound, and two assists.
The Falcons came out strong and led the Marlins by a score of 9-4 at the 15:23 mark, but the Marlins responded with a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 9-8. Over the next five minutes, Virginia Wesleyan outscored Pfeiffer 14-9 to take a 22-18 lead at the 8:41 mark in the first half.
Pfeiffer responded with a 5-2 run to cut the lead to 24-23. Over the next several minutes, the Marlins held a one possesion lead, until Pfeiffer went on a 7-0 run to take a 30-27 lead over VWU with 2:44 on the clock. The Marlins countered with a 7-1 run to take back the lead to 34-31. A lead they held the rest of the half to lead 36-33 heading into the break.
Coming out of halftime, Virginia Wesleyan came out on a tear going on a 24-5 run in the first five minutes of the first half to hold a 60-38 lead at the 14:23 mark. With a substantial lead, the Marlins played solid defense to cruise the rest of the game to seal the 83-67 win over Pfeiffer.
