The Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball team (21-7, 12-4 ODAC) defeated McDaniel College 75-62 to earn a spot in the ECAC Championship Final.
Omari DeVeaux highlighted the game as he surpassed 1,000 career points and tied his single-game high. DeVeaux led the offense with 27 points, going 9-for-14 from the field, 2-for-5 from three-point territory, and 7-for-9 from the free throw line; he registered eight rebounds, three assists, and one block.
Paul Anderson scored 12 points, going 4-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-4 from the free throw line; Anderson tallied two rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Omari DeVeaux scored the first basket of the game for the Marlins; and McDaniel responded with a jumper and a three to lead 5-2.
Khai Seargeant tied the game at 5-5 with a three pointer. The game remained evenly paced until the Marlins went on an 11-0 scoring run to lead 18-8 with 12:22 in the first half. McDaniel ended the Marlin surge with a three-pointer, but VWU strung together six straight points to lead 24-11 with 10:44 remaining.
McDaniel responded with a 6-0 scoring run to lessen the gap to seven with 8:27 left in the first half.
Jeremiah Boateng responded with back-to-back layups for the Marlins to bring the score to 28-17. After McDaniel scored two free throws, neither team made a basket between 5:58 and 3:52. In the remainder of the first half, McDaniel outscored the Marlins 10-6, entering halftime with the Marlins ahead 36-31.
The second half saw a strong start from McDaniel College, as they brought the scoring deficit down to one point, less then three minutes into the period. McDaniel continued to apply pressure through the 16:01 mark, but the Marlins gained momentum with consecutive layups from
Paul Anderson and
Demeir Pollard. After over two minutes of scoreless play,
Omari DeVeaux made three free throws to put the Marlins ahead 53-44 with 10:10 on the clock.
VWU took control between 8:52 and 6:57 with five points in a row, marked by a three by
Demeir Pollard. McDaniel followed up with a three to bring the gap to nine with 6:05 remaining. The Marlins stretched their lead as
Paul Anderson made a dunk with 2:16 on the clock, bringing the score to 68-51. McDaniel outscored the Marlins 11-7 in the final minutes of play, but it was not enough to diminish the Marlin lead. Virginia Wesleyan captured the win by a score of 75-62.
The Marlins will face Salisbury University in the ECAC Championship Final on Saturday, March 15.
