Box Score SALEM, W. Va. (Nov. 18, 2017) – Down a second perimeter player in as many games due to injury, the Salem University Tigers men's basketball team reconfigured its frontcourt and offense, pounding the Tiffin University Dragons in the paint for an 83-72 victory.

Salem University lost guard Jesse Pistokache in the first half, dampening its perimeter firepower in the team's 4-for-17 3-point shooting in the first 20 minutes of action.

The Dragons made five 3-pointers but only needed 13 attempts to get there, getting 10 first-half points from Alex Brown, who hit 4-for-7 from the field, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point line. Salem shot 53.3 percent from the field overall, finishing inside almost at will, but getting too few attempts for a 39-38 lead going into halftime.



Salem was more accurate shooting itself in the foot than it was from distance early, committing 10 first-half turnovers, helping Tiffin take a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers for the game. Reggie Oliver paced the Tigers with 15 points but shot just 2-for-9 from deep and committed four turnovers.

In the second half, the Tigers went to a two-big alignment, pairing Malik Toppin and Ferlandis Penny in the frontcourt and making a more concerted effort to control the paint on both sides of the court.

Toppin scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half, pulling down three offensive rebounds and showing a nice touch with a righty hook, finishing 5-for-5 in the second half to post 17 points and 11 rebounds for the game for his third double-double in three games.

Oliver was dynamic working off screens and aggressive getting into the paint, scoring 13 in the second half on 5-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-7 in the paint, showcasing a beautiful floater and getting to the free-throw line five times, making four.

Salem shot 11 free throws in the second half, making nine, after attempting just three in the first.

After trying a 2-3 zone for a stint in the second half, the Tigers switched back to man-to-man and found their niche, walling off the paint with Toppin and Penny blocking six and three blocks, respectively.

Salem was fantastic in forcing Tiffin forward Austin Adams to play in a crowd in the paint and over the top of its towering frontline, cutting off the Dragons' source of interior scoring and creating a trickledown effect that bled into Tiffin's 3-point shooting, holding them to 1-for-13 from deep in the second half.

For the game, Salem shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) and outscored them 12-6 from the free-throw line.

Oliver led the Tigers with 28 points and five assists. Ignacio Rodriguez got going in the second half as Salem started playing inside-out, finding open 3-pointers and finishing 4-for-7 from deep for the game.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 2-1 on the season while Tiffin University falls to 1-2. Salem will play once more before Thanksgiving break, hosting Seton Hill University on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.