VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Five different Marlins scored in double figures and the No. 16 Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball team defeated Methodist, 99-61, in the season opener for both teams the Batten Center.
 
The Marlins raced out to a 58-24 lead by halftime on the strength of 56.4 percent shooting (22-39) in the opening 10 minutes, including knocking down 6 of 14 three-point attempts (.429). VWC held the Monarchs scoreless over a 4:43 stretch early in the contest in turning a 12-6 lead into a 27-6 bulge with 11:57 left in the opening stanza. Turnovers plagued the Monarchs as they coughed up the ball five times and shot 0 of 3 during the early run.
 
Davion Ayabarreno broke the Monarchs' cold spell with a layup at the 11:46 mark and MU cut its deficit to 16 points (32-16) on a layup by Blake Davis with 7:55 to play, but the Marlins closed out the half on a 26-8 run for the big lead at the break.
 
Virginia Wesleyan scored 20 points off turnovers in the opening half and got 29 first-half points from its bench. The Marlins' lead grew to as many as 43 in the second half as the first-half surge proved too much for Methodist.
 
Methodist, which finished up at 43.1 percent shooting (22-51), was led by Jackson Whitley's doubl-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. He added three blocks and was 7 of 9 from the floor. Ayabarreno and Rae Hill each added 10 points, and Troynell Reese chipped in seven points and five rebounds.
 
Khory Moore led all scorers with 17 points and added five boards. Tim Jones had 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Keijon Honore and Corey White Jr., each scored 14 points. Josh Williams added 10 points for VWC which shot 48.7 percent (37-76) for the contest. The Marlins also outrebounded Methodist, 45-26, and forced 19 MU turnovers while committing just 10.
 
The Monarchs are back in action on Friday at Eastern Mennonite beginning at 7:00 pm.