SALEM, Va. --- Virginia Wesleyan College needed some late minute heroics to get by Roanoke College, but the Marlins will be making their second-straight trip to the ODAC Championship following a 62-59 win over the Maroons on Saturday afternoon. VWC, now 22-5, play Bridgewater College in Sunday's championship game. Roanoke bows out with a 16-11 overall record.

 

The Maroons out rebounded the Marlins, 43-39 and shot 89% from the free-throw line. VWC was held to 35% from the floor, but hit all 14 of their free-throw attempts. Roanoke outscored VWC, 36-22 in the paint, 14-11 off turnovers and 12-4 off the bench.

 

Tied at the half thanks to a coast-to-coast lay-up by Roanoke's Torri Bridge as time expired, the Maroons jumped out to a seven-point lead two minutes into the second frame. VWC worked it down to a one-point game on two occasions, the latter at the 12:29 mark.

 

The two squads jockeyed the lead between each other several times over the next few minutes. Chelsey Barret hit the third of her three makes from beyond the arc to give the Marlins a four-point edge with 5:23 to play, but Roanoke responded with a lay-up by Jordan Gholson and Bridge's third triple to retake the lead, 57-56, with 2:27 to go.

 

The first of two foul shots by Heather Phillips tied the score for the 10^th time at 57-57. She converted the second toss to nudge VWC ahead by one. Two more free throws from Phillips and a pair from Taylor Lowe sandwiched a jumper by Erin Hanson to set up the game's final sequence with 0:20 on the clock and VWC ahead 62-59.

 

Hanson triggered a three-pointer that drew iron and went out of bounds off a Marlin to give Roanoke one more chance to tie with 0:09 to play. Bridge put up a three-pointer off the in-bounds pass, but Phillips got a piece to send it awry. Caitlyn Long collected the loose ball and found an open Lindsay Skaff in the corner, but her three-point attempt was long as time expired.

 

Lowe led all-scorers and three Marlins in double figures with 20 points and five rebounds. Phillips added 16 points and 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Barrett chipped in 13 points and five assists.

 

Bridge and Hanson led Roanoke with 15 points apiece. Bridge also collected six rebounds while Hanson added four boards and three assists. Fellow senior tri-captain Sara Keller had eight points and eight rebounds in their final game at Roanoke.

 

Jaleesa Osborne led the Maroons with four assists in addition to seven rebounds and two steals. Long had six points and four rebounds while Gholson finished with eight points and three rebounds.

 

Hanson ends her career as the school's third leading scorer (1448), fourth in rebounding (749), fourth in scoring average (15.4 ppg), fifth in field goals made (501), second in free-throws made (392), eighth in blocked shots (58) and eighth in steals with 161.

 

Gholson's 45 blocked shots this season tied a single-season mark. Bridge (85.7%) and Hanson (83.8%) are sixth and ninth, respectively from the charity stripe in a single-season. Long finished the season with 49 three-pointers, ninth in a single-season and her 78 career three-pointers rank ninth as well. Her 3P% of 39.8 ranks her seventh in a single-season. Osborne's 75 season steals and her 138 career steals ranks her ninth in both categories.