SALEM, WV - The Salem International University women's basketball team played a close first-half with Alderson Broaddus University on Thursday night (Jan. 5) before a 29-point third quarter sealed a 70-57 victory for the Battlers in NCAA Division II basketball action.

Sophomore Jiahna Flood-Francis scored a game-high 23 points and recorded a game-high eight steals for the Tigers. Senior Franchessca Gill finished a single-point shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Nassiah Bray paced the Battlers with 15 points, while adding five rebounds and three steals. Bray was one of four Alderson Broaddus players to cross into double digits as Tatiana Nikitina scored 13, Danielle Franklin (11), and Jordan Parker (10).

Despite not leading in the contest, SIU found itself trailing 14-13 after the opening 10 minutes of action. The Battlers used a pair of SIU turnovers in the second quarter to double their lead on the Tigers.

SIU rallied before the first-half would come to a close, cutting the Battlers advantage to 28-22. Flood-Francis tallied a team-high nine points for the Tigers, while sophomore Keishla Gilmore scored six points.

Bray lead the attack for Alderson Broaddus in the third quarter as the Battlers put some cushion between themselves and SIU. The third quarter continued to be a tough spot for the Tigers as Alderson Broaddus out-scored them 29-16.

The Tigers did try to mount a come-back in the fourth, putting 19 points on the scoreboard, compared to 13 points for the Battlers. Bray recorded 13 second-half points for the Battlers, while Nikitina recorded nine points.

Salem finished the contest 22-of-69 from the floor, 6-of-27 from downtown, and 7-of-9 at the free throw line. The Tigers scored 28 points inside of the paint and 19 points off of Alderson Broaddus turnovers. SIU also recorded 35 rebounds in the contest.

Alderson Broaddus finished the game 27-of-61 from the floor, 4-of-10 from three-point range, and 12-of-20 from the free throw line. The Battlers scored 42 points in the paint and 25 off of SIU turnovers, while pulling-down 40 boards.