College Women’s Basketball Final – Guilford 69, Virginia Wesleyan 49

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Guilford College’s Heaven Walters (Elkin, N.C./Starmount) led all scorers with 18 points while notching a double-dobule in Friday afternoon’s Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victory over Virginia Wesleyan College, 69-49. The contest was originally scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, but re-scheduled due to the winter weather expected in Greensboro and Virginia Beach.

Walters shot eight-of-15 from the field and added 12 rebounds to her 18-point performance for her first double-double of the season. Anais Weatherly (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) notched her sixth double-double of the season, producing 12 points and ten rebounds while adding four assists and three steals. Amy Steller (Advance, N.C./Davie/Pfeiffer) posted a season-high 15 points on four-of-six shooting, including three-of-four from three-point range.

The Quakers (10-2, 3-1 ODAC) opened the first five minutes of the contest with a 6-4 lead. Both sides traded points throughout most of the latter portion of the first quarter until the final 1:34 where Weatherly posted the final three points of the period. The Quakers forced six Virginia Wesleyan (7-5, 2-2 ODAC) turnovers in the period with Guilford only committing two miscues. Guilford shot 26.7 percent while Virginia Wesleyan shot 41.7 percent in the quarter.

Each side traded a pair of buckets 2:50 into the second quarter as the Quakers produced a 5-0 run, holding the Marlins without a point for 3:50. Guilford stretched their lead as large as six points in the quarter twice, ending with a Jordyn Brown lay-up in the final second. The Quakers held the Marlins to four field goals in the period.

The Quakers extended their lead to ten 2:11 into the third quarter, sparking an 8-0 Guilford run lasting 2:53. Virginia Wesleyan countered with a 7-2 run to cut the lead down to nine with 4:26 left before both teams traded baskets to end the quarter.

The Marlins cut the lead down to eight to open the fourth quarter, but Guilford took charge with a 10-0 run lasting 3:13. The Quakers lead peaked at 23 with 1:49 left in the period as the Quakers earned the win, holding the Marlins to three field goals while shooting six-of-12 for the period.

Jayla Harris was the lone Marlins’ player in double-figure scoring with 13 points on five-of-16 shooting while adding three assists.

The Quakers finished the contest shooting 37.3 percent from the field while the Marlins shot 29.5 percent. The Quakers boosted their offense at the foul line, shooting 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) while Virginia Wesleyan posted an eight-of-12 effort (66.7 percent).

The Quakers out-rebounded the Marlins, 52-33, thanks to 19 offensive rebounds for Guilford compared to eight for Virginia Wesleyan. The Quakers dominated second-chance points, 21-7, while holding a 34-22 edge in the paint over the Marlins. Both sides tied, 16-16, in point-off-turnovers while the Marlins held a 14-10 edge on the fast break.

The Quakers return home Wednesday, hosting Roanoke College for a 7 p.m. ODAC contest.