SALEM, WV - The Salem International men's basketball team opened its 2016-17 season at home against Seton Hill on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 12). Despite taking a 51-50 lead into the halftime, the Tigers would see Seton Hill drop 53 points in the second half to pull-out the 103-98 victory.

The Tigers (0-1) will host Urbana at home next Wednesday night at 7 pm. Salem then hits the road for four games, beginning with a match-up against Division I Longwood University on Friday, November 18 at 7 pm. It will be a total of 13 days until the Tigers return home to the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.

Salem was led by 19 points and 10 rebounds from freshman Jarius Farrow. He was 7-for-12 from the floor and hit four three-pointers in the contest for the Tigers. Junior Jalen Thompson added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers, while senior Victor Blakey dropped 15 points and dished out a team high four assists.

The Tigers and Griffins battled back-and-fourth in the opening 20 minutes of action as neither team was able to truly pull away. The first half would come down to the Tigers making their shots from the floor as they hit 16 buckets, including six from three-point range.

Seton Hill would fall behind in the early portion of the second half by as many as 14 points, but used a huge 20-2 run to quickly turn its deficit into a lead. The Griffins wouldn't surrender the lead the rest of way en route to a 103-98 victory.

The Griffins hit 14 shots from the floor in the second half, including four from behind the arc. SIU hit 13 of its shots from the floor but only connected on one three-pointer. The Tigers kept things close by going 11-16 at the free throw line in the second half.

Fernando Salsamendi led the Griffins with 17 points and 13 rebounds. He would connect on four shots from the floor and go 8-for-10 at the charity stripe. Spencer Casson chipped in with 16 points and five assists, while teammate Trevor Lecuona added 14 points and a team-high six assists.