SALEM, W.Va - Samantha Aikens (Hilton Head Island, SC) had a season high and game high 21 points, but it wasn't enough as Trevecca Nazarene pulled away late in the second half en route to a 72-51 win at the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.

Salem falls to 0-8 overall and is now 0-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Trevecca Nazarene improves to 3-4 and 1-0 in the G-MAC.

The Tigers hung tough in the first frame, trailing by no more than 10 points and tieing the game three different occasions before Helen Mitchner put the Trojans hit a three with 31 seconds to go up by four (4), 32-28, at the half.

The second half saw much of the same with both teams trading blows behind Aikens' 12 second-half points. However, after two free-throws by the Senior from Hilton Head Island, SC put Salem to within six (6), 49-43, with 9:50 on the clock, the Tojan defense limited the SIU attack to just eight (8) more points in the half.

For the game, TNU shot 38.2% from the field (26-68) while Salem shot 32.8% (19-58). TNU caused 22 Salem turnovers while committing only eight (8) of their own.

Aikens led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 6-for-8 from the charity stripe. Shakinah Haggins (Lakeland, FL) had 12 points and Courtney LittleDog (Browning, MT) had nine (9). TNU was led by the trio of Paige Baugher (15 points), Kaci Britt Bell (10 points), and Chari Swift (10 points).

Salem returns to G-MAC play on Saturday to take on Kentucky Wesleyan at the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM. Live Video and Stats will be available at the SIU Stretch Internet Portal .