Box Score TIFFIN, Ohio (Jan. 24, 2018) – The Salem University Tigers men's basketball team picked up its first road victory of the season, defeating the Tiffin University Dragons 67-60.
Malik Toppin was one of three Tigers in double figures, scoring a game-high 20 points and grabbing five rebounds as Salem shot 44.9 percent from the field, assisting on 13 of its 22 made field goals.
Salem got off to a sluggish start, missing a slew of jumpers and committing three turnovers and giving up layups and 3-pointers on defense to fall behind 16-6 early.
Reggie Oliver provided a spark off the bench, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the first half, picking up two steals and leading a quick barrage of 3-pointers—along with
Marko Tutunovic and Jarrius Farrow—to bring the Tigers back and tie the game at 26-26 at the half.
???????Toppin and Oliver combined to score Salem's first 11 points of the second half, getting into the paint and the free-throw line repeatedly before
Darren Montgomery gave the Tigers their first lead since the game's opening seconds, hitting a layup with 12:14 remaining in the second half.
Montgomery was big in the second half, where he scored all 16 of his points, hitting two 3-pointers on three attempts (and shooting 4-for-8 from the field overall) and icing the game by hitting all six of his free-throw attempts down the stretch.
???????Toppin was ruthlessly efficient, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, and Oliver was dynamic off the dribble while pounding the glass for seven rebounds and contributing a team-high four assists.
Salem limited Tiffin to just two scores in double figures, with the Dragons being led by Justin Miller's 11 points off the bench while Austin Adams had 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Tigers worked Tiffin inside, scoring 28 points in the paint and taking an 11-0 edge in second-chance points, scoring nine in the second half.
With the victory, the Tigers improve to 5-13 on the year, sweeping the season series with Tiffin University 2-0. Salem will host Bluefield State College on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m.
