SALEM, West Virginia - The Salem men's basketball team has had a tough opening to their season with a few tight losses to start their winter campaign. However, They got back on track this evening with a 98-53 thrashing of USCAA foe Virginia-Lynchburg. The game played out as follows. 

In the first half, Salem took a little while to find their offensive groove as the game was tight early. However, Salem began to find their points thanks to some big shots from Ian Hardy and Kapone Barley. Once they built a small lead, Salem got their offense in gear, and really pushed their advantage once leading scorer Stan Smith and Rodney Smith started to find their shooting stroke. By the end of the half, Salem controlled the game 44-27 after the first half. 

In the second half, Salem really kicked things into high gear. Stan Smith scored 20 of his team leading 28 in the second, and Salem clearly had the game in a stranglehold at this point. Towards the end of the contest, Head Coach Brett Rector was able to use the full length of his bench, and some strong play from Kevin Kashala, Ata Atsuren, and Walker Moreland continued to build the Salem advantage. The Tigers would ride off with a  98-53 win over the Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons.

On the stats sheet, Salem was led by the aforementioned Stan Smith with 28 points. Kapone Barley continued the offensive improvements he has made this season with 18 points, and Ian Hardy contributed 12 to round out the Tigers in double figures. Justin Tene controlled the interior with 11 rebounds and 7 points. Fope Okuyiga also finished just short of a double double with 9 points and 8 rebounds.  

Salem will be looking to build on this momentous win as they are set to face off with another USCAA foe in just a  few days. Penn State-Fayette is set to visit the Tigers in T. Edward Davis Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 6th at 6 PM