Salem University fell to Division I West Virginia University 91-40 in a women's basketball exhibition game Tuesday at Morgantown, W.Va. Nia Bishop led the Tigers with eight points off the bench.
 
Precious Price hit two jumpers for Salem's first four points and Bishop sank a pair of free throws to keep the Tigers within striking range late in the first quarter. But West Virginia ended the first quarter on a 10-1 run to build a 26-7 lead after 10 minutes.
 
Salem was able to keep pace with the Mountaineers early in the second quarter as Nerea Arambarri Fernandez nailed a jumper and Tamia Tart connected on the Tigers' first 3-pointer of the night. But Salem would get no closer as West Virginia took a 45-16 lead into halftime.
 
After a Mountaineer 3-pointer to open the second half, Salem scored the next five points on a pair of free throws by Nerea Arambarri Fernandez and a 3-pointer by Kayla Hall. West Virginia answered with a 3-pointer by Lucky Rudd and the margin never fell below 30 the rest of the way.
 
Tart finished with six points for Salem on a pair of three's, while Arambarri Fernandez, Price and Smith each added five points. Arambarri Fernandez also shared team-high honors on the boards with Bishop with four rebounds apiece.
 
Kysre Gondrezick led five Mountaineers in double figures with 16 points, while Kari Niblack pulled down 15 rebounds. West Virginia outscored Salem 27-6 from the free throw line.
 
Tuesday's meeting was the 11th all time between the Tigers and Mountaineers and the first since 1986. The game does not count towards this season's won-lost record.
 
Salem tips off its 2019-20 regular season campaign November 9 as the Tigers play host to Miami University-Hamilton (Ohio). Tip-off is 2 p.m. at T. Edwards Gymnasium.