RICHMOND, Virginia - Fresh off their win over Bluefield State in the semifinal, the Salem men's basketball team had a chance to make history in the USCAA Division I Championship Game. They met another familiar foe in the Bobcats of Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo, who they defeated in the regular season at home. In this matchup with the Bobcats in a neutral site and with the title on the line, Salem left no doubt with another dominant performance on their way to a 76-59 win. 

In the first half, Salem took control of the game from the opening jump, and it became clear the big advantage Salem had was the size and physicality the Tigers had on the interior, both offensively and defensively. Justin Tene and Riley Heatherington controlled the rebounding battle down low, and that success allowed for the Tigers outside shooters such as Stan Smith and  Ian Hardy to get more scoring opportunities. Needless to say, the Salem offense was in full swing in the first half as they cruised out to as much as a 17 point lead in the first half. The Bobcats pushed back and brought the scoreline down to 37-21 favoring Salem going into the halftime break. 

After the intermission, it became clear that Salem was not going to let this game slip away. With control of the interior, Justin Tene put in an impressive performance by scoring the first 8 points for Salem in the second half. With the Salem offense in high gear, the Tiger advantage grew to as much as 27. The Bobcats did make a late comeback bid in the second half, and cut the lead down to 10. However, Salem answered right back with key buckets down the stretch from Ian Hardy and Ashraf Tchadouwa. The Tigers would then cruise to a well earned 76-59 win, and Salem University's first ever USCAA Division 1 Championship crown. 

On the stats sheet, it was Justin Tene who was the star of the show with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Rodney Smith and Ian Hardy each had 15 points, and Stan Smith finished the contest with 11 points. 

With this Championship Win, Head Coach Brett Rector's team certainly had quite a lot to be proud of this season. They finished with an impressive 19 wins alongside the aforementioned first USCAA Championship in program and school history. This will put the Tiger's in a great spot to further develop, and bring their success to a whole new level in the 2023-2024 campaign.