News Release

HONOLULU, Hawaii — Stephany Dunmyer is hoping to ho’oponopono (correct) a few things as the Virginia Wesleyan College wahine (women’s) basketball hui (team) heads into the second day of competition in the Hoop N Surf Tournament.

The Marlins suffered an 80-56 loss to a tall, talented Lake Forest College team in the first round, as the Foresters, ranked No. 23 and No. 25 nationally in two polls, dominated the backboards, out-rebounding VWC by a decisive 52-19 margin.

That wasn’t that tough for the Foresters (6-1) to accomplish, as their roster includes three players at 6-feet or taller and five more at 5-10 or taller. That balance worked well in keeping the Marlins off the boards, as 14 different Foresters pulled down at least one rebound. Nicole Baich, a 6-0 junior center, led the way with nine, followed by Ashley Cretacci with 10.

Lake Forest used its strength inside to put up numerous second-chance shots, outscoring the Marlins 19-8 in that category and 48-28 in the lane. Virginia Wesleyan (6-3) did use its pressure defense to help force 36 Forester turnovers however, which led to a 28-16 scoring advantage for the Marlins.

A cold first half of shooting put the Marlins on the short end of the score quickly as VWC shot 19.2 percent, while Lake Forest hit inside often en route to 59.3 percent accuracy. The Foresters led 43-14 at halftime, but encountered a more competitive Virginia Wesleyan team in the second half.

The Marlins outscored the Foresters 42-37 in the half, helped by contributions from players off the bench who helped VWC out-tally Lake Forest 44-35 overall. Junior Allison Wheeler (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) was one of those off-the-benchers, coming on strong in the second half to hit 6-of-10 field goals en route to a team-leading 12 points in 15 minutes on the court.

Junior Taylor Lowe (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) and senior Lindsey Churchill (Yorktown, Va./Tabb) also got into the mix, combining for 13 points. Lowe hit 2-of-2 field goals, both from three-point range, and connected on 2-of-2 free throw attempts. Rookie Tonia Jones (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) also scored six points in the half and finished the game with 11 points.

That overall effort helped Virginia Wesleyan turn a rout into a contest as the Marlins whittled away at a 47-14 deficit. It took nearly 10 minutes, but the Marlins outscored the Foresters 29-8 to pull within a 55-43 score on a Jones layup with 8:50 still remaining to play.

Wheeler scored 10 points in the impressive run and Lowe added six, as seven different Marlins scored to keep the rally rolling. But, the energy utilized to pull back into contention was difficult to sustain and Lake Forest put together a 10-0 run to help regain control with 5:51 on the clock.

Lake Forest, which defeated then-ranked No. 12 Washington University in St. Louis and No. 17 Williams College earlier this season, was led by Baich with 16 points and nine rebounds. Andrea Durante added 15 points. The Foresters finished the game hitting 57.1 percent of their field goal attempts, while VWC finished at 35.1 percent.

Virginia Wesleyan continues in the tournament on Monday, Dec. 18, taking on the Pioneers of California State University -East Bay at 4 p.m. Hawaiian time.

–VWC–