FAIRMONT, West Virginia - The Salem men's basketball team was back in action tonight in the second game of their slate in the Joe Retton Classic in Fairmont. The Tigers took on the host and old rival Fairmont State Falcons. Salem struggled to keep pace with the Falcons all night, and they were defeated by a score of 94-67. 

From the opening tip, Salem found themselves in a hole early as the Falcons started off the game with some hot outside shooting. Salem kept with them initially behind some strong offensive play from Stan Smith and Justin Tene. However, as the half went on, the scoring chances for the Tigers seemed to dry up, and Fairmont State made some big runs before the halftime break. They would carry a 55-30 lead going into the intermission. 

After the break, Salem clearly had their work cut out for them as they tried to scrap their way back into the game. While the halftime adjustments were pivotal in the previous contest against Glenville State, they were simply not enough to keep up with the Falcons scoring in the second half. Looking for some fresh legs and some needed offensive output, head coach Brett Rector implemented some aggressive hockey style substitutions towards the end of the half. Yet, it was still not enough for the Tigers, and Fairmont State cruised to the 94-67 win. 

Despite the disappointing scoreline, there were some bright spots for the Tigers on the stats sheet. Stan Smith led the team again in scoring with 14 points. Rodney Smith was just behind him with 12 points, and Markanthony Fidelis added 10 points off the bench. Riley Heatherington was just shy of a double double with 9 points and 8 rebounds. 

The Tigers will be looking to bounce back from this tough loss in their next contest. On Wednesday, November 16th, they are slated to head to Greensburg, Pennsylvania to take on the Seton Hill Griffins for a 6 PM contest.