Box Score Virginia Beach, Va. -- After producing multiple scoring runs in the fourth quarter in an impressive comeback attempt, the University of Lynchburg women's basketball team fell just short to Virginia Wesleyan, 79-76, on Wednesday night at TowneBank Arena.

The Hornets (7-5, 0-3 ODAC) trailed the Marlins (8-4, 2-1) by as many as 22 points with 7:24 to go in the final quarter, chipping to cut their deficit to one point with 15 seconds left. The most impressive run of the seven-minute stretch was a 16-2 rally from the 2:20-mark until 15 seconds on the clock, powered by 12 points from Audra Petty, who finished the contest with a team-leading 28 points to tie her career-high.

Lynchburg opened the game with an efficient first quarter, shooting .714 percent from the floor and building an early advantage. The Hornets scored 23 points in the opening period, highlighted by balanced scoring and strong play in the paint, and carried a 23-15 lead into the second quarter.

Virginia Wesleyan responded in the second, outscoring Lynchburg 20-8 to take a 35-31 lead at halftime. The Marlins shot .643 percent in the quarter, while the Hornets were limited to .182 percent from the field despite converting all four of their free throw attempts.

The third quarter saw Virginia Wesleyan extend its lead behind a 22-point frame, while Lynchburg added 12 points to trail 57-43 heading into the final 10 minutes. Despite the deficit, the Hornets strong comeback effort in the fourth quarter saw them pour in 33 points on .615 shooting in the period.

Petty finished the affair with a nine-for-19 line from the field and seven-for-eight at the free throw line. Bree Spainhour added 17 points on six-of-eight shooting, dished out four assists, and pulled down five rebounds, while Kate Littlejohn contributed 16 points while hitting eight-of-12 attempts from the foul line. The Hornets finished the game shooting .490 percent overall and went 23-for-32 from the free throw line.

Lynchburg trimmed a double-digit deficit to one possession late and finished the game on an 11-point scoring run, but Virginia Wesleyan held on in the closing moments to secure the three-point victory. The Hornets will return to action this weekend when they welcome Averett to Turner Gym on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 4:30 p.m.

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