The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team (5-17, 1-14 ODAC) was defeated by Averett 69-63.
Keagan Schwab led the team scoring 17 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field, 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-1 from the free throw line; she had five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Brianna Long tallied a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, and 5-for-8 from the charity stripe, and had four steals.
Jaiden Hunter recorded nine points shooting 4-for-8 from the field, and shot 1-for-4 from the field; she registered four rebounds, one steal, and five blocks.
It was a close contest to start the game, with the teams tied at 4-4 in the first two minutes of play. Averett's offense awoke and outscored the Marlins 10-4 to lead 14-8. Virginia Wesleyan fought back and ended the first quarter on a 6-2 run to bring the score to 16-14.
The Marlins continued their good run of play, outscoring the Cougars 7-5 to tie the game at 21-21. Averett went on a 4-2 run to take a 25-23 lead with 5:48 left in the second quarter. Over the next five minutes, the two teams battled it out, with Averett outscoring VWU 8-7 to lead 33-30 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Virginia Wesleyan came out and outscored the Averett 4-3 to bring the score to 36-34 at the 6:12 mark. The Cougars responded with an 11-4 run to lead 47-38 with 1:41 left in the quarter. Schwab ended the streak with a jumper, and Hunter hit a layup to go on a 4-0 run to bring the score to 47-42. but Averett scored a jumper to lead 49-42 heading into the final frame.
The Marlins played well to start the fourth, going on a 4-2 run to cut the lead to 46-51. Averett turned up the pressure and went on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to lead 60-48. Virginia Wesleyan fought hard to get back in going on an 11-5 run to bring the score to 65-59. However, the Cougars matched the Marlins four points in the last minutes of the game to hold off the Marlins' late surge.
