Nerea Arambarri Fernandez led four players in double figures with a game-high 18 points as Salem University celebrated Senior Day with an 88-56 victory over Bluefield State College in NCAA Division II women's basketball Saturday at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium. The win extended the Tigers' home winning streak to five.
 
Seniors Imari Bowers, Aaliyah Holmes, Reeva Jackson, Endia Jones and Precious Price were recognized during Senior Day ceremonies prior to tip-off.
 
Salem (8-16) broke away from a seven-point halftime advantage as an Aaliyah Holmes three-pointer with 6:51 left in the third quarter gave the Tigers a 43-33 lead and the margin stayed in double figures the remainder of the contest. Fernandez, Tamia Tart and Daniela Quesada all connected on three-pointers during an 11-2 run to stretch the Tigers' lead to 19.
 
The margin never fell below 15 points and a pair of free throws by Quesada gave Salem its first 20-point lead at 61-41 with 2:03 left in the third quarter. The margin broke the 30-point mark on Fernandez's fourth 3-pointer of the contest with exactly one minute left to play.
 
Tiger head coach Cody Gilmore had all five seniors on the floor with just under three minutes remaining and subbed them out one at a time to an ovation from the crowd.
 
Alicia Smith's three-pointer off an inbounds pass by Quesada gave Salem a 5-4 lead three-plus minutes into the contest and the Tigers stayed on top the rest of the way. Salem led 19-11 at the end of the first quarter after a three-pointer, steal and layup by Fernandez in the final 26 seconds.
 
Price's steal led to a Nia Bishop layup as Salem took its first double-digit lead of the game at 24-14 with 7:48 left before halftime. Bluefield State (14-11) got as close as five points, but Price's steal and layup with 14 seconds remaining sent the Tigers into the locker room with a 36-29 lead.
 
Bishop finished with 14 points and Smith added 11 points, while Tart scored 10 points and shared game-high honors with six rebounds for the Tigers. Fernandez also dished out a game-high five assists.
 
Dani Janutolo led Bluefield State with 14 points.
 
Salem concludes regular season play with two games next week. The Tigers travel to nationally 18th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan Tuesday and then play host to Ursuline College Thursday in a make-up game. Inclement weather and dangerous road conditions forced the postponement of the originally scheduled contest January 18.