VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The No. 16-ranked Virginia Wesleyan College men's basketball team led by 34 at halftime en route to a 99-61 non-conference victory over Methodist University on Tuesday night.
The Marlins shot 56.4% (22-39) in the first half, knocking down 42.9% on three-point tries to pull away for a 58-24 halftime lead. Virginia Wesleyan forced Methodist into 13 turnovers in the opening half thanks to a smothering full-court defense. The Marlins posted 14 assists in the opening half.
Virginia Wesleyan led 10-6 at the 16:40 mark in the first half before a 17-0 run over the next five minutes pushed the Marlin lead to 27-6. Josh Williams posted eight points in the spurt while Tim Jones tallied five.
Jones posted 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the first half. He finished just shy of a triple-double for the game, ending with 14 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists while playing sparingly in the second half.
Corey White, Jr. had a career night off the bench, matching a personal best with 14 points in 14 minutes off the pine. Keijon Honore contributed an impressive game off the bench, adding 14 points on four made three-pointers. The Marlins held a 57-19 edge in bench points.
Williams finished with a career-high of 10 points, scoring his first collegiate points in the contest. Khory Moore led the Marlins with 17 points in 21 minutes, tallying five rebounds to go with three assists.
Jackson Whitley led Methodist (0-1) with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 16 Virginia Wesleyan (1-0) will host Frostburg State (1-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday as part of the opening day of the Marlin Tip-Off Tournament.