Mary Washington Men's Basketball Edges Virginia Wesleyan, 74-70, Advances to NCAA Elite Eight
The University of Mary Washington men's basketball continued its ride through the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday night with a 74-70 victory over Virginia Wesleyan College before a sold-out crowd at the Anderson Center.
The Eagles break the school record with their 25th win of the season, and advance to the sectional final on Saturday against Williams College.
It's the second-straight year, and third time in the last four
years, that the CAC championship team has advanced to the NCAA
Division III Men's Basketball Tournament Elite Eight.
The game featured numerous runs by both teams. With the score tied
at 10, senior gaurd Bradley Riester and junior
forward Taylor Johnson hit back-to-back three
pointers to give UMW a six-point cushion with 14:14 left in the
first half.
The Marlins answered with eight straight points, including a pair
of three pointers from Khory Moore (game-high 30 points) to take
the lead at 18-16. The Eagles countered with a 9-0 run of their
own, including five points from senior Dajon
Daniel, to grab a 25-18 advantage with 9:34 to go.
After a VWC three point play, UMW scored eight straight to lead,
33-21, with 7:47 left, and built the lead to 15 on a pair of
Riester free throws with 3:28 remaining. A pair of free throws with
1.2 seconds left trimmed UMW's halftime advantage to 11, at
42-31.
The second half started with a Marlins 14-3 run that tied the score
at 45 with 15:35 left. Senior Dylan Farinet
answered with a three to give UMW the lead, and the teams traded
baskets until a three pointer from Moore and layup from Colby heard
gave VWC a five-point cusion with 8:50 to go.
A 6-0 Eagle spurt gave the home team the lead at 59-58 with 6:38 on
the clock, and the lead changed hands four times over the next
three minutes. With the score tied at 68-68 with 1:32 left, UMW
took charge, as senior guard Dom Morra connected
for a layup and free throw to build the lead to three, and a pair
of Johnson free throws with 17 seconds left pushed the lead to
five.
After the Marlins made a pair of free throws, senior guard
Marcellus Holley made a free throw to put the game
out of reach with six seconds left, giving UMW a 74-70 win.
Riester led UMW with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Johnson
scored 15 and grabbed six rebounds. Daniel scored 13 for UMW, while
Morra scored nine and Farinet eight, with six rebounds and four
assists.
The Eagles shot 44.6% from the field, including 10-31 three
pointers, while Va Wesleyan shot 42.6% (26-61), making 7-23 three
pointers. The Marlins led in rebounds, 41-34.
Mary Washington will face Williams College, ranked ninth in the
nation, on Saturday, with advancement to the Final Four on the
line. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.






