SALEM, W. Va. (Feb.  6, 2018) — In a battle between giant haymakers and precision-placed paper cuts, the Salem University Tigers women's basketball team managed to land enough blows to outlast the Wilmington University Wildcats 87-84. 

The Tigers came out with a new level of energy and aggression offensively, launching from deep at the slightest moment of inattention from the defense. 

Head Coach Alex Stern made a shift in the starting lineup, inserting Ashley Hancock and moving Isis Mance to center, going with a smaller lineup to put more spacing and playmaking on the court. Salem shot from long range with volume and accuracy, hitting 15-for-37 from the 3-point line (40.5 percent). 

The evening's offensive renovation was about more than hunting open 3-pointers. It was a recommitment to moving ball and bodies, working dribble handoffs, off-ball screens and drive-and-kicks to play the Wilmington defense like an accordion, squeezing and stretching it, moving it out and in, until the nets sang a beautiful basketball symphony. 

On one possession, the Tigers made consecutive skip passes over the top of the defense, sending Wilmington scrambling back and forth, then passing up a good shot from Aaliyah Dotson for a great one from Isis Mance, wide open for the corner 3-pointer.

Salem assisted on 21 of its 30 made field goals, led by Jillian Romero and Dotson, who each had eight assists for the Tigers. 

Romero finished with 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting, taking 12 shots from deep. She set the tone for Salem, scoring 13 points in the first quarter and hitting 3-for-6 from the 3-point line. Just as important as her production was the real estate in which Romero operated. 

Perched at the top of the key and even connecting from a few feet beyond the 3-point line, Romero's spacing distorted the shape of Wilmington's 2-3 zone, giving the defense one too many rotation points to scramble to, compromising the integrity of the defense. This opened the lane for Dotson, who had 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, getting to the free-throw line nine times (hitting five). 

Given space to work, Dotson pummeled her defender with biting crossovers, getting into the teeth of the defense to finish through contact or find an open shooter.

Mance was the beneficiary of many of these plays, spaced out to the corner where she hit 6-for-10 from behind the 3-point line to score a team-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds. Starting at center, Mance was a matchup nightmare, too strong and nimble for guards and too skilled and quick for forwards. More than a stretch big, Mance has versatility in her shot, showing an ability to shoot it comfortably on the move, spotting up from a standstill, and over the top of closeouts. 

By moving Keishla Gilmore off the ball more, and removing some of the stagnant isolations in general, Salem was able to weaponize her speed by using it selectively—grabbing and going in transition to finish with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double—never allowing Gilmore to come squarely into the defense's focus. 

When the offense was humming, it looked unstoppable, building an 18-point lead deep into the third quarter. 

Of course, keeping the pedal to the floor with a six-player rotation is a taxing endeavor. As the Tigers ran out of gas at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, Salem struggled to stay on the right side of the fine line between free flowing offense and chaotic mess. 

Salem went from hunting early open shots to rushing forced ones. When the Tigers tried to readjust the offense, it sometimes overcompensated, slowing down too much so as to resort to isolations and stagnancy. 

In these moments, Wilmington found their stride, picking the Tigers' defense apart with surgical precision. After getting in trouble trying to puncture Salem's defense off the dribble in the first half, committing offensive fouls and driving into traffic for 13 first-half turnovers, Wilmington reoriented itself around a pass-heavy attack, hitting cutters to rim with pinpoint accuracy from the wings and elbows. 

The Wildcats assisted on 17 of their 24 second-half field goals, led by Emma Matthews, who had 15 points and eight assists in the half, and 25 points and eight assists for the game. 

Forward Nyree Grant was the recipient of many of her passes, ducking inside for quick-hitters or stepping out into the midrange for an unorthodox but effective jumper, posting a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double before fouling out. 

Macy Robinson was also effective for the Wildcats, just missing a triple-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. 

The trio combined to lead Wilmington to a 31-point fourth quarter, taking a one-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining on a Matthews 3-pointer. With just enough left in the tank, Gilmore received the ensuing inbounds pass and raced the entire Wilmington team down the court, gaining just a half step of separation two steps away from the rim to get the layup. 

After a missed Matthews jumper, Mance gave Salem a three-point lead with a pair of free throws and the Tigers survived a last second heave to pull away with the victory. 

In the end, it was a matter of simple math. Wilmington shot a higher percentage from the field (47.4 percent), but Salem hit eight more 3-pointers and supplemented it with 26 free-throw attempts (hitting 12) to just seven for Wilmington. 

With a handful of big 3-pointers down the stretch, Salem connected on just enough knockout blows for its defense to not bleed out down the stretch, improving its record to 6-15 on the season. The Tigers will return to the courts Saturday, Feb. 10, hosting Davis & Elkins at 12 p.m.