THE GAME FACTS
Score: Roanoke 83, Virginia Wesleyan 36
Location: Salem, Va.

The Short Story: Roanoke put together a dominant performance in a conference matchup against Virginia Wesleyan, rolling to an 83-36 victory at the Cregger Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Maroons jumped out to an early lead, going ahead 8-2 on a Madison Nereu layup with 7:55 left in the first quarter. Virginia Wesleyan stayed within striking distance for the next stretch of game time, trailing just 12-8 with four minutes left.
• But Roanoke quickly found an extra gear, extending the gap to 24-15 by the end of the opening period. The Maroons then started the second stanza on an 8-2 run, pulling ahead 32-17 on another Nereu basket with 7:29 left.
• The home side kept up the offensive production for the rest of the quarter, going on to secure a 47-23 halftime advantage. Nereu had 14 points by the break, while Rose Sande added eight first-half markers.
• The Marlins never seriously threatened Roanoke's large lead in the second half, and the Maroons pulled away further for their most lopsided margin of victory since a 92-30 win over VWU on Feb. 6, 2021.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Nereu finished with 16 points and three steals in just 22 minutes of action, and Sande totaled 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes on the court.
• Jada Steele notched 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. Mariah Cain, Parker Childress, Peyton Kirchner and Ingrid Moraes chipped in six points apiece, with Cain adding six rebounds and Childress contributing four assists.
• Kate Littlejohn and Sarah English posted five points apiece, and Elle Gunter recorded five rebounds and four assists.
• All 13 players who saw action scored at least two points for the Maroons.
• Maesyn Blaylock paced Virginia Wesleyan with a game-high 17 points.
• Roanoke shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the field while holding the Marlins to a 27.7 percent clip (13-of-47). The Maroons also outrebounded VWU 44-29 and forced 34 turnovers in the game.

UP NEXT

• Roanoke will travel to Bridgewater for a 7 p.m. ODAC contest on Wednesday.