College Women’s Basketball Final – Guilford 80, Virginia Wesleyan 68

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Guilford College’s Anais Weatherly (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) amassed a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season, as the Quakers collected a Sunday afternoon Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victory over Virginia Wesleyan College, 80-68. Weatherly’s clinched her double-double thanks to a rebound with 2:44 left in the second quarter.

The Quakers jumped to an early 7-0 lead in the first 1:29 of the period as Weatherly sunk three of the Quakers’ first four field goals of the contest. Virginia Wesleyan cut the Quakers’ first-quarter lead down to three points in the middle of the period, but Guilford extended their advantage as large as nine points near the end of the frame. Guilford extended their largest lead to ten in the second quarter as the Quakers’ bench took charge offensively, scoring seven of Guilford’s 11 points. The Marlins produced an 11-1 run to close out the period, taking a two-point lead at halftime.

Both sides traded the advantage for the first 6:28 of the third quarter with neither side gaining more than a one-possession lead. Ymani Breedlove’s free throw with 3:32 left in the period gave the Quakers a four-point lead, the only moment in the quarter where either side held a lead larger than three points. Guilford exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring the period’s first seven points as the Quakers amassed an 11-2 run in the first 3:05 of the frame to create distance from the Marlins. Guilford clinched victory in the final 2:23 by shoot eight-of-ten from the foul line while the Quakers’ defense held Virginia Wesleyan without a field goal for the final 5:12 of the contest.

The Guilford bench overpowered Virginia Wesleyan’s reserves, 32-6, thanks to two of Guilford reserves boasting double-figure scoring. Breedlove totaled 11 points in 12 minutes while Essence Abraham (Greensboro, N.C./Dudley) added ten points. Heaven Walters (Yadkinville, N.C./Starmount) represented the fourth Quaker in double-figures with ten points on four-of-five shooting while adding five rebounds.

All five Virginia Wesleyan starters totaled double-figure scoring, led by Jayla Harris’s 18-point effort. Naeemah Morris added 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Quakers shot 44.1 percent for the contest, including two periods where Guilford shot 50 percent or above. The Quakers shot 50 percent in the first quarter and 53.3 percent to close the contest. The Marlins shot 35.7 percent for the game, but shot below 30 percent in the second half as the Marlins slumped to 26.7 percent in the third quarter and 29.4 percent in the fourth. Guilford shot 70.3 percent from the foul line (26-of-37) while the Marlins shot 79 percent (23-of-29).

Guilford dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Marlins, 49-30, thanks to 22 offensive rebounds that produced 19 second-chance points. The Marlins 12 offensive rebounds produced 14 second-chance points. The Quakers’ offense dominated in the paint, out-scoring the Marlins in the lane, 36-20.

Guilford (9-1, 3-0 ODAC) boasts their best ten-game start since 2013-2014 when the Quakers started 8-2, a mark that matched two other opening stretches in 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. Coach Stephanie Flamini’s Quakers return home Wednesday, hosting Randolph College for a 7 p.m. ODAC contest.