SALEM, W. Va. (Feb. 15, 2018) — Dribbling up the court at her own pace, just a few beats removed from the normal rhythms of the game, Jillian Romero allowed the offense and defense to settle around her. 

Making eye contact with teammate Ashley Hancock walking up the court, sharing a brief non-verbal cue, Romero veered to her right, pulling Washington Adventist University's 2-3 zone defense a few steps toward her. 

In that moment, with defense's attention drawn, Hancock broke into a sprint behind the gaze of the backline defenders. In perfect sync, Romero crossed back over behind her back to the left, creating a passing lane and threading a left-handed bounce pass to Hancock in perfect stride for the layup. 

Basketball is a game of timing and space, and in the Salem University Tigers' 73-48 victory over the Washington Adventist University Shock, the trio of Romero, Isis Mance, and Keishla Gilmore were masters of both. 

Romero set the tone for Salem, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter, firing away from a few feet behind the top of the key, both within the flow of the offense and off-the-dribble. 

Firing away early and often, Romero led the Tigers with 23 points, hitting 7-for-18 from the 3-point line, while also contributing five assists, four steals, and three blocks. Her 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting in the first half helped Salem get out to a 39-30 halftime lead. 

Romero's gravity, which in basketball terms means how much attention a player draws from the defense, opened pockets of space between the front and back lines of the Shock's 2-3 zone. Salem exploited this by running cutters through the middle of these gaps. At times, it was Mance flashing to the elbows or the middle of the paint for short jumpers or whirling spin moves, showing great touch and balance. At other times, it was Aaliyah Dotson or another wing, ducking in, catching the ball and quickly finding Mance in the corner for a 3-pointer.

When the occasion called for it, Mance dropped the footwork and touch in favor of power, working inside and hitting the glass. Her versatility kept a stressed Shock defense off balance, posting a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double. 

As Romero stretched the defense out, and Mance scrambled it, Gilmore found the seams in the chaos. After scoring just four points in the first half, Gilmore erupted for 15 in the second, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. 

Gilmore was devastating off the bounce in the second half once Romero and Mance wore broke the bonds of Washington Adventist's help defense; hitting defenders with quick double crossover dribbles, changing directions at sharp angles and finishing at the rim. 

With a more balanced offense, Salem had more energy on the defensive end, playing with quick feet and arms high, deflecting passes and blocking shots. In all, the Tigers forced 18 turnovers, including 11 steals, and blocking four shots. The defense created quick offense, giving Salem a 12-4 advantage in points off turnovers and an 8-0 edge in fast break points. 

Aryanna Hutchinson was the only Shock player in double figures, scoring 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting. Celia Gallego-Barea finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. 

With the win, the Tigers improve to 7-17 on the season and 5-9 at home. The team will return to the court on Feb. 19 for the last home game (and senior night) of the regular season against Alderson Broaddus University at 6 p.m. Salem closes out the season on Feb. 24 against Bluefield State College.