RICHMOND, Virginia - After wrapping up their season with a dominant home win, the Salem men's basketball team headed over to Richmond, Virginia to compete in the USCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. This is a first for the Tiger's with Salem only joining the USCAA back in August in tandem with their current NCAA Division II membership. For their debut, Salem had a tough matchup on their hands with the Bryant and Stratton-Syracuse Bobcats. The Bobcats kept the game close, but Salem was able to pull away with the tough 59-45 win. 

In the first half, it was the Bobcats who were able to jump out to an early lead. However, Salem was able to battle back quickly with some strong play from Fope Okuyiga and Riley Heatherington. Once the game drew level, both teams traded slim leads for the rest of the period. Salem, however, ended the half leading 24-23 thanks to two key Rodney Smith free throws. 

In the second half, it became clear that if the Tigers were going to advance in this tournament, they would need to get their offense in gear. The Bobcats defense had been stifling, but Salem rose to the occasion. They opened the half with a pair of threes from Stan Smith, and Heatherington continued his strong performance from the first half with some much needed interior scoring. From there, the Salem lead grew into the double digits, and in a game where all scoring was at a premium, that would be enough to put the Bobcats away to emerge with a 59-45 victory for Salem. 

On the stats sheet, Salem was led by Stan Smith, who finished with 19 points. Just behind him was Riley Heatherington, who notched a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ian Hardy also dropped in 11 points, and Rodney Smith rounded out the Tiger's in double figures with 10 of his own. 

With this win, Salem advances to the second round of the USCAA tournament. They are set to face the 8th seed of the tournament, the all too familiar Bluefield State, who upset the #1 seed Paul Quinn College. That game is set for March 15th at Noon in Richmond, Virginia.