VIENNA, W.Va. (Feb. 6) – The Tigers had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds, but were defeated 71-67 by Ohio Valley in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play Saturday evening.
 
The loss drops the Salem International University men's basketball team to 4-17 overall, 1-7 in the G-MAC this season. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots improve to 3-5 in league play, 6-16 overall.
 
Sophomore Gerard Tarin (Fort Myers, Fla./East Lee County) recorded a double-double, 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the team. Junior Lamonte Fields (Dinwiddie, Va./Dinwiddie) led the team in scoring with 21 points, including four treys. Senior Jerry Sipple, III (Kansas City, Mo./Wyandotte) chipped in 11 points in the loss.
 
The Tigers, playing their third game this week, scored the game's first nine points to take an early lead. Salem maintained a lead until the seven-minute mark of the first half when Ohio Valley took a 17-16 lead on a three pointer.
 
Ohio Valley gained control of the first half, leading by as many as 10 points, before the Tigers clawed back into the game. Salem closed out the half on a 12-2 run, capped off by a Tarin basket before the horn, to slice the Scots lead to two, 36-34, entering halftime.
 
The Fighting Scots rebuilt its lead to 10, 46-36, four minutes into the second half, but the Tigers would not go away. Salem chipped away over the next six minutes and tied the game at 52-52 on a Tarin jump shot with 10:50 remaining in the game.
 
The two teams exchanged the lead a few times in the final 10 minutes, before Ohio Valley built a seven point lead, 67-62, with just over three minutes remaining. Sipple drained a jumper and a three pointer to pull the Tigers within two points, 69-67, with 3:03 remaining in the game, but the Tigers could not break through.
 
Salem International was held without points to close the game, including two missed shots and a turnover in the closing seconds. Ohio Valley converted a pair of free throws with 1.6 seconds on the clock to ice the game.
 
Ohio Valley forced 26 turnovers and held a 30-9 edge in points off of turnovers in the game. The Tigers were also held to just 12 points in the paint in the loss.
 
The Tigers are back on the court on Thursday, Feb. 11 when they head to Ohio to take on Cedarville in a league contest at 7:30 p.m.