SALEM, WV – The Salem International University women's basketball team used a total team effort and huge second quarter performance to defeat Bluefield State College 81-57 on Friday night (Dec. 9) in NCAA women's collegiate basketball action.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
35th Annual Joe Manchin Classic hosted by Salem International
Final: Salem International 81, Bluefield 57
Records: Salem Int'l (1-8), Bluefield (0-9)  
Location: T. Edward Davis Gym | Salem, West Virginia

HOW IT HAPPENED:

•  First Half
  • The Tigers battled with the Blues in the first quarter with SIU holding a 14-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
  • The second quarter would see the Tigers put some space between themselves and Bluefield, out-scoring the Blues 28-15.
  • SIU junior Amanda Allred sparked the Tigers offensively with a 4-for-4 performance from three-point range in nine minutes of action.
  • SIU sophomore Jiahna Flood-Francis went 3-of-6 from the floor in the first-half and 3-of-4 from three-point range to tally 10 points.
  • SIU sophomore Keishla Gilmore finished the first-half 4-of-6 at the charity stripe.
  • Salem was 14-of-41 from the floor and 8-of-20 from downtown, while Bluefield was 10-of-30 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
  • The Blues out-rebounded the Tigers 24-17. SIU forced the Blues into 14 turnovers, while the Tigers had eight.
  • Tanasia Blake made her presence felt early for the Blues, recording a double-double in the first-half with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She went 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-3 from downtown.
  • SIU held a 42-25 lead at the end of the first-half.

•  Second Half
  • The teams would play a more evenly matched second-half, with Bluefield out-scoring SIU 19-15 in the third quarter.
  • The Tigers would put the game away by scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter, compared to 13 for Bluefield.
  • Gilmore scored nine points in the second-half for SIU, going 3-for-11 from the floor and dishing out three assists.
  • SIU senior Dorina Barrett tallied eight points, including a 2-for-3 effort from downtown.
  • Chloe Layne would be the only Bluefield player to record a double-digit scoring performance in the second-half. Layne went 4-of-8 from three-point range and tallied 12 points.
  • Blake would record eight points for the Blues in the second-half and register 10 more rebounds.

 STATS FROM THE GAME:

• Gilmore and Flood-Francis each finished the contest with 15 points, while Flood-Francis went 4-of-9 from three-point range.
• Gilmore recorded a team-high six helpers for SIU, while Barrett finished with five.
• Barrett and Allred both tallied 12-point performances in the win for SIU.
• SIU scored 15 points off of Bluefield turnovers and registered 14 second chance points.
• Blake finished with a game-high 24 points and 20 rebounds for Bluefield. She also added four assists in 39 minutes of action.
• Lyndsay Hatfield finished with 11 points, four assists, and five rebounds for the Blues.
• The Blues scored seven points off of SIU turnovers and 18 points in the paint, while out-rebounding the Tigers 50-36.
• SIU recorded 82 shots in the contest, going 28-82.

UP NEXT:

The Tigers will face Virginia State on Saturday night (Dec. 10) as part of the 35th Annual Joe Manchin Classic. Tip-off is slated for 5 pm. Live stats and video for both of the Tigers games will be available at www.SIUTigerPride.com.