RICHMOND, Virginia - The Salem women's basketball team had a tough task on their hands in the second round of the USCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. They matched up with the #1 overall seed, the Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo Bobcats. The Tigers overwhelmed the Bobcats offensively, and rode some hot shooting to a tough 83-67 win, 

In the first quarter, both teams traded shots early on, and the Bobcats established a slight advantage. However, Salem opened up a run of their own with three point shots from Emerson Wells and Elena Pericic. The Bobcats kept the game close however, and Salem held a slight 20-19 lead after 1 quarter of play. 

For quarter 2, Salem really tried to build on that lead and create some separation between them and the Bobcats on the scoreboard. They would do just that, fueled by continued strong outside shooting from Anete Bluma and Daniela Quesada. The 2nd quarter rally was all Salem, and they kept a 45-32 lead heading into the halftime intermission.

After the break, it became clear that the Tigers were going to control this ball game the rest of the way. The Bobcats made a few small runs, but they were consistently rebuffed by a Salem offensive run to keep the double digit advantage. Salem leaned on veteran leader Nerea Arambarri Fernandez in the third to facilitate the ball offensively, and keep the Bobcats at bay. They did that perfectly, and Salem remained ahead at the end of 3 by a score of 63-45. 

With just one quarter to go, Salem remained focused on the job at hand, and easily maintained control of the contest despite desperate comeback attempts from the Bobcats. Anna Machytkova and Kirsten Cross both came in handy with key foul shots down the stretch, and Salem pulled away with a 83-67 win to advance in the USCAA Tournament. 

On the stats sheet, Salem was led by Nerea Arambarri Fernandez who scored 19 points, and Emerson Wells was just behind her with 17 points. Daniela Quesada also had 17 for the Tigers, and Elena Pericic chipped in 10 points. 

With this win, Salem advances to the USCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Game where they will take on the winner of Bluefield State and D'Youville on Thursday, March 16th at Noon in Richmond, Virginia.