Salem, Va. (2/23/07) -- Nicole Thurston scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan past number-seven Guilford, 75-49, in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament quarterfinals Friday in the Civic Center.

The Marlins (20-6) won their first ODAC Tournament game since 1994 and advance to Saturday's semifinals to meet the winner of Friday's Eastern Mennonite-Washington and Lee game. Guilford's season ends with a 10-16 record.

Thurston, a 6-1 senior post, scored 10 of the Marlins' first 11 points, which helped Virginia Wesleyan open a 32-17 lead with 7:34 left before halftime. The Quakers rallied to within 37-31 at halftime thanks to increased defensive intensity and six points by Jocyln Terry in the final seven minutes.

The Quakers' intensity waned and their shots stopped falling in the second half. Virginia Wesleyan held Guilford without a field goal for a six-and-half minute stretch early in the period and outscored the Quakers, 17-4, in that time. Thurston scored five points and the Marlins drained three three-pointers in the decisive spurt. Guilford shot six-for-32 in the second half and missed all 15 three-point attempts.

Junior Heather Phillips, a 5-10 reserve forward, scored 11 points off the bench for Virginia Wesleyan. Classmate Allison Wheeler, a 5-11 reserve forward, grabbed a game-high six boards and helped the Marlins to a 44-28 edge in rebounds.

Rookie Alexa Williams scored a team-high 11 points and added five boards for Guilford. Shevon Hackett finished with seven points and a game-high six rebounds. The Marlins held Tracey Croner to four points, over nine below her team-leading season average.