SALEM, VA--The Roanoke College men's basketball team lost for just the second time in the last 12 games, dropping a 62-48 decision to #8 Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday in Salem, VA. The Maroons are now 11-9 on the year, 7-6 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Virginia Wesleyan improves to 18-3, 13-1 in the ODAC.
Roanoke opened Saturday's game making just one of their first eight shots from the field and in the process allowed the Marlins to take a 14 point lead just 10 minutes into the game. Virginia Wesleyan's Terrell Dixon hit a three-pointer from the corner with 10:23 left in the first half to give the visitors a 19-5 lead.
Three minutes later the Marlin lead was 23-9, but the Maroons used a 12-3 run to trim the lead to just five with 1:34 left. Roanoke senior Ben Lawler sparked that run, getting a steal and layup to start the run and then an offensive put-back to make the score 23-13. Following a Josh LaPorte basket and a VWC miss, Tee Jackson put in a reverse layup and the lead was single digits, 25-17. After a Marlin free throw, Jeff Leiter scored in the paint and LaPorte made two foul shots and the deficit was just five, 26-21.
After the Marlins got the lead to eight at the break, 31-23, junior Ton Ton Balenga hit one of his four three-pointers, in the game, to open the half and give the defending national champions an 11-point lead. The Maroon defense would hold the Marlins scoreless for the next four minutes and as a result got the lead to just two. LaPorte scored four straight points, Ben Shrader hit a three, and AJ Dowell scored on a driving layup to make the score 34-32.
Virginia Wesleyan got the lead back to 10, but another Roanoke run made the score 42-37 with 10:37 left in the contest. That would be as close as Roanoke would get the rest of the day. Leading by nine, 53-44, with 5:29 left in the game, the Marlins ended the game on a 9-4 run to make the final margin 14.
Last season's ODAC and National Player of the Year, Brandon Adair, led all players in points (19), rebounds (11), and assists (4). Balenga added 16, while Thomas Sumpter added 10. LaPorte and Dowell each scored 12 to lead Roanoke.
Roanoke is back in action on Sunday at 2:00pm in a home game against the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College. The Maroons look to snap a 13-game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets.
