Area briefs: Colonel boys edge Liberty

WINCHESTER — Nick Foura scored a team-high 21 points, leading four James Wood players in double figures in the Colonels’ 82-79 non-district boys’ basketball win at Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium Wednesday night.

The Colonels (6-4) made 13 3-pointers in the victory. Nick Goode scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Ryland Williams added 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Michael Carter added 11 points, including three 3-pointers for Wood. Foura had a team-best five assists.

Xavier Colbert led Liberty with a game-high 39 points.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Keydets 110, Hornets 54

LEXINGTON — The Shenandoah University men’s basketball team returned to action Wednesday evening with a 110-54 non-league loss to Virginia Military Institute.

The loss to the D-I Keydets (5-7) completes the non-league portion of the schedule for SU (3-9).

The out-of-division contest is the first official game for Shenandoah against a higher division opponent since a 72-44 loss at William & Mary on Dec. 16, 2010.

The Hornets also played D-I Radford and D-II West Virginia Wesleyan in exhibitions prior to the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, respectively.

VMI led the entire 40 minutes Wednesday night, scoring the first eight points of the contest and 14 of the initial 20.

The lead, thanks to a 29-1 run over a span of 7:32, expanded to 35 points by the 7:00 mark of the first.

Trailing 43-8, SU outscored its hosts 20-18 in the final 5:38 of the opening stanza to find itself in a 61-28 hole at the break.

The two teams played the initial 8:26 of the second half virtually even, with the Keydets scoring 21 of the first 40 points of the half, before VMI pulled away with a 16-4 run from the 10:31 to 5:31 marks of the second.

The hosts then finished the game on a 12-2 run.

Jared Carithers paced the Hornets with 22 points while Dante Serale added 11 points and Shaquille Rodney 10.

Shenandoah hosts nationally ranked Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday in a 2 p.m. ODAC contest.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Saints 53, Hornets 42

WINCHESTER — Shenandoah University completed its non-conference women’s basketball schedule Wednesday evening with a 53-42 home loss to Marymount University.

The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Hornets (5-7).

Shenandoah held a 26-21 lead at the halftime break only to see Marymount (10-3) double up SU in the second.

The Saints held the Hornets to just 16 points on 6-of-21 (29 percent) shooting in the second while shooting 40 percent themselves to pull away for the victory.

Shenandoah also did not help itself as it converted just two of nine attempts (22 percent) from the free throw line following the break.

SU shot 41 percent from the line in the game.

Despite the shooting struggles, the Hornets found themselves tied 36-36 thanks to a Holly Chittenden jumper with 11:28 remaining.

Unfortunately for the Shingleton Gymnasium faithful, Marymount scored the next six points of the game and never trailed again.

Shenandoah was able to cut the deficit to two points, 44-42, with 5:25 left, but could get no closer.

MU closed the game on a 9-0 run.

Chittenden led the hosts with 12 points while Crystal Petrus added 11.

Katelyn Fischer had a game-high 20 for the victors.

The Hornets return to ODAC play on Saturday at Roanoke.