Ralph Diaz, who played all 40 minutes, hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer as Salem University rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final three-plus minutes for a 98-96 victory over Chowan University in NCAA Division II men's basketball Thursday afternoon at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium. The win extends the Tigers' winning streak to seven.
 
Salem (14-7) trailed 91-79 before Fonz Hale's three-pointer with 3:08 left to play cut the margin down to single digits. After a Chowan free throw, Hale answered with a layup and Marko Tutunovic capitalized on a wide open lane for a slam dunk to pull the Tigers within 92-86 with 2:08 remaining.
 
Hale hit another layup after a defensive stop and Diaz picked up a loose ball after the Tigers forced a turnover. Jordan Forbes drew a foul on a layup and finished the three-point play to make it a one-point game. Chowan stretched the lead back to three, but Tutunovic answered with a pair of free throws of his own with 37 seconds late.
 
On Chowan's next possession, Diaz stripped the ball in the lane, made a behind-the-back dribble after crossing halfcourt and hit an eight-foot running jumper to give Salem a 95-94 lead with 23 seconds left. The lead was short-lived as Chowan's Jamal Thomas hit a layup with 16 seconds remaining to put the Hawks back on top 96-95. Chowan called a timeout to set up its defense, while Salem used the timeout to draw up a final play.
 
After the Tigers worked the ball around the perimeter, Forbes drove into the lane from the top of the key with less than four seconds left and drew a double-team. Forbes kicked the ball out to the left wing to an open Diaz, whose three hit all net just as the final horn sounded.
 
Diaz, who admitted that him taking the three at the buzzer was not the play Salem head coach Robert Ford had called, said that defense was the key to the Tigers' comeback.
 
"We knew we had to play some defense to get back in the game," said Diaz, who recorded two of his game-high five steals in the final 75 seconds. Diaz also scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
 
Salem led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but Chowan (8-12) used a 27-3 run across each half on its way to a double-digit lead of its own.
 
Forbes' layup with 10:52 left before halftime broke a 19-19 tie and put the Tigers on top for the remainder of the half. Shawn Christian hit back-to-back three-pointers from the left corner off dishes from Forbes to give the Tigers their first double-digit lead at 36-26 with 6:48 remaining.
 
A pair of three-pointers by Aleksa Dobrijevic gave Salem its biggest advantage at 44-30 with 3:48 remaining. But the Tigers would not score again in the half and Chowan went to score the final 13 points before halftime as Thomas's three-point play with 24 seconds left drew the Hawks within 44-43 at the break.
 
Jaylen Dilliad's short jumper 33 seconds into the second half gave Chowan its first lead since the opening minutes of the contest and Khalil Ridges hit a three to extend the Hawks' run to 18 unanswered points. Hale's three with 17:36 remaining ended the Tigers' scoring drought of more than six minutes, but Chowan answered with a pair of three-pointers and the Hawks built a 57-47 lead with 15:14 left to play.
 
The margin grew to as many as 12 before Malique Ross sparked a Tiger comeback with a four-point play. Ross hit a three from the top of the key and drew a foul just before the shot clock expired. Salem used the free throw line to pull within four, but Chowan hit four three-pointers on its next five possessions to build its lead back to double figures. Salem never got closer than nine until its final comeback as the Tigers limited the Hawks to one field goal over the final three-plus minutes.
 
Forbes recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 28 points and 12 rebounds and also dished out eight assists to come within two assists of his first triple-double. Hale added 21 points, while Dobrijevic finished with 10 points. The Tigers shot 54.0 percent from the field, including 13-for-26 from three-point range.
 
Three Chowan players combined for 73 of the Hawks' 96 points. Ridges scored 27 points, Dilliard added 25 points and BJ McLaurin added 21 points.
 
Salem hits the road again next Wednesday as the Tigers travel to Greensburg, Pa., for a rematch against Seton Hill University. The Tigers defeated the Griffins 86-71 December 1 at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.