SALEM, West Virginia - With a pair of wins that bookended their holiday break, the Salem Men's Basketball team had some newfound energy as they got back into the regular season routine. That energy was definitely needed this evening as they played host to regional power Charleston in T. Edward Davis Gymnasium in Salem. Even though Salem opened the game well, the Tigers could not stick with Charleston for the full 40 minutes, and fell by a score of 94-62. 

As previously mentioned, Salem opened the game well. Salem opened the game with a jumper from Khemanni Davis, and followed that up with some strong play from Ian Hardy. However, the Golden Eagles answered right back with a run of their own to earn a slight lead. The Tigers kept up the pressure, and brought the game within one when Nils Baumeisters got fouled in the process of a three point shot and sank the subsequent foul shots. Yet, Charleston was not going to go away easily, and protected their slim lead the rest of the half. By the end of the period, Salem trailed the Golden Eagles 42-33.

After the halftime adjustments, Salem kept the energy level high, but found the offensive opportunities difficult to come by. Salem did get some scoring from Kapone Barley and Jack Garrison IV, but it would not be enough to maintain pace with the Golden Eagles. Charleston ultimately started their trip back to the southern part of the state with a 94-62 win over the Tigers. 

In the scorebook, Salem showed their team-centric approach to the game. Not 1, not 2, but 3 Tigers tied for the team lead in scoring. Khemanni Davis, Kapone Barley, and Ian Hardy each added 14 points a piece for the Tigers. 

While today's game did not go the Tigers way, Salem will be able to reset and approach their upcoming road swing with a fresh perspective. They are set to face off another Mountain East conference foe on Saturday, January 13th. Namely, it will be the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets who will match up with the Tigers down in Institute, West Virginia for a 4 PM tipoff.