Box Score SALEM, W. Va. (Dec. 30, 2017) – The return of starters Aaliyah Dotson and Isis Mance helped the Salem University Tigers women's basketball team end a five-game losing streak, defeating the West Liberty University Hilltoppers 65-59.

A little closer to full strength, Salem's offense regained some dynamism, changing attack angles with its slashing backcourt of Keishla Gilmore and Dotson, balanced by the frontcourt versatility of Mance, with the trio combining for 53 points.
The game was a contrast of styles with West Liberty University patiently moving the ball around the perimeter while 6-foot-3 center Marissa Brown worked to seal off defenders in the post, creating angles for entry passes with ball movement for quick-hitters.

Establishing Brown inside (25 points, 19 rebounds) as the primary action allowed the Hilltoppers to work some off-ball screens on the weakside to free up some 3-point shooters, hitting seven in the first half.

Salem did most of its damage off the dribble. Working against West Liberty University's man-to-man defense, the Tigers exploited favorable matchups to get downhill towards the rim for a 44-28 advantage in the paint despite the presence of Brown, who finished with seven blocks.

Man-to-man defense is best played on a string, where pulling at the seams of one defender brings the attention of another.

To an extent, the Tigers were able to remove Brown from that string by establishing Mance as a scoring threat early, getting eight of her 18 points in the first quarter. Mance attacked the Hilltoppers' center from the elbows or mid-post, using her dexterity, strength and footwork to move Brown out of position before pivoting to create space for a shot.

Though inefficient from the field (7-for-23 shooting), Mance's aggressiveness with the ball and on the boards (10 rebounds, including four offensive) helped to occupy Brown's attention, working as a tug of war between her individual matchup and defensive help responsibilities, creating just enough driving lanes for the Tigers' guards to exploit.

Dotson made the most of her return to action, leading the Tigers in scoring with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting. Dotson patiently worked for the proper driving angles, sizing up her defender off the dribble and freezing them with a nasty hesitation move; pulling them out of their stance, blowing by them and using her body to create space for finishes at the rim.

Gilmore worked best with a more direct path downhill, pressuring the defense with her speed and using sharp crossovers to wrongfoot defenders and create a path to the lane. Though she struggled to finish (5-for-17), her ability to consistently get to the rim stressed West Liberty's defense, earning the Tigers a 22-12 edge in free throw attempts. 

She was particularly effective in transition, running off her rebounds (10) or steals (four) to push Salem's advantage, dropping one defender with a brutal Eurostep in the fourth quarter to help the Tigers gain a 10-2 advantage in fast break points.

Jillian Romero moved the ball and filled in the gaps, finishing with six points, five rebounds and five assists, and Ashley Hancock was big on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds, allowing the Tigers to stay in small lineups and better space the floor.

West Liberty was led by Brown's 25-points, 19-rebound double-double, getting 19 points and 10 rebounds in the second half. Johnie Olkosky was the only other Hilltopper in double figures with 12 points, hitting 4-for-10 from the 3-point line; though she went scoreless in the second half as Salem choked off the 3-point line, limiting West Liberty to 0-for-13 shooting from deep after giving up 7-for-21 in the first half.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 4-10 on the season, surpassing last year's win total. Salem University will travel to Davis & Elkins College on Jan. 3 for a game at 5:30 p.m. and will return to the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium on Jan. 5 for a game against Washington Adventist University at 6 p.m.