SALEM, West Virginia - With three straight home wins under their belt, the Salem women's basketball was looking for one more as they took on the District of Columbia Firebirds at home on Wednesday night. Salem kept the game tight, but a late comeback fell short with the Firebirds taking away a narrow 56-54 win. 

In the first quarter, the game's tone was set as a defensive battle ensued from the opening jump. Every point was tough to earn for both teams, and open shots took a lot of work to come by. Anna Machytkova was the lone Tiger to regularly find those shots, and she would be the majority of the Salem offense all evening. However, after one, the Firebirds held a 10-9 lead. 

For the next period, the Tigers made some initial strides as they took a slim lead behind some scoring plays from Anete Bluma. However, the Salem offense ground to a halt and the Firebirds took control of the game. They would lead the contest at the half by a score of 31-24. 

In the third, Salem had their work cut out for them as the Firebird advantage seemed to be growing, and the offensive opportunities became harder and harder to come by. Fortunately, the Tigers found some big shots from Aina Maynou and Jamya Miller, and they clawed their way back into the game. The Firebirds' lead stood at just 42-39 after the third. 

For the fourth, the game was clearly going to go down to the final possession as both teams traded points down the stretch. Anna Machytkova and Kirsten Cross kept the Tigers neck and neck with the Firebirds. A desperation layup missed the mark for Salem in the closing seconds, and they fell by a score of 56-54. 

On the stats sheet, Salem was led by Anna Machytkova who chipped in 19 points and an impressive 7 rebounds. Elena Pericic also finished just short of another double-double with 8 points and 9 rebounds.  

Despite the frustrating end to tonight's game, Salem will have a chance to get back on track as the Panthers of Ohio Dominican are coming to Salem from Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, January 7th at 2 PM.