RIO GRANDE, OH - Sophomore Jiahna Flood-Francis scored a game-high 24 points for Salem International University on Thursday night (Nov. 17) against Ohio Valley. The Fighting Scots would come-away victorious 61-53 after out-scoring the Tigers 22-14 in the fourth quarter in women's collegiate basketball action.

The Tigers will play the host-team, Rio Grande on Friday night (Nov. 18) at 6 pm in the final game of the Bevo Francis Tournament. The game will be streamed via Stretch Internet HERE. The Tigers return home on Tuesday, November 22 for their opening home contest of the season. SIU will host the Tiffin Dragons at 5:30 pm in the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium. SIU will then hit the road for the rest of November as the Tigers will play in the Virginia State Tournament against the host, Virginia State University on Nov. 25 at 6 pm and against Shaw on Nov. 26 at 1 pm. The Tournament will be held in Petersburg, Virginia.

Both teams would struggle on the offensive side of the ball in the first half. SIU did get off to a good start, dropping 16 first-quarter points against the Fighting Scots. Leading 16-6, the Tigers would see Ohio Valley make a charge in the second quarter, out-scoring SIU 16-6 to knot the score 22-22. The Tigers seemed like they would have a lead heading into the locker room, but a 10-2 run by the Fighting Scots changed the momentum of the game to close-out the first half.

The second half of action would be more friendly for both squads as the Tigers and Fighting Scots each scored 17 points in the third quarter. The high-octane style of play would see the score remain tied 39-39 and leave a final 10 minutes to determine a winner. The fourth quarter had a slower pace of play as the Fighting Scots would frequent the charity stripe.

Ohio Valley went 9-for-14 at the free throw line in the second half, while SIU went 3-for-4. For the game, the Tigers would go to the charity stripe just six times and go 4-for-6. Turnovers and several missed-shot opportunities halted a potential come-back for the Tigers as the Fighting Scots would close-out the game with nine-seconds remaining at the free throw line.

Flood-Francis paced the Tigers offense with an 11-for-20 effort from the floor, while sophomore Keishla Gilmore added eight points and eight rebounds for SIU. Senior Karla Hall pulled-down a team-high nine rebounds for SIU.

Jalyn Gilbert was one of three Fighting Scots to finish with double-digits in points, scoring 18 with three steals. Cydney Franklin scored 17 points for Ohio Valley and went 7-for-14 at the charity stripe, while teammate Anee' Braswell recorded 11 points and eight rebounds with a team-high four assists.