SALEM, West Virginia – Now that the holiday break is behind us, Salem Men's Basketball was raring to go for their 2024 opener against the Saints of D'Youville. The Saints made the long trip to Salem from the Buffalo, New York area for a Saturday afternoon matchup. It ended up being a tightly contested ball game that saw Salem edge out D'Youville 74-67.
In the first half, Salem had to shake off the rust early on, and D'Youville took early control of the game. However, Salem battled back with some uncharacteristic strong outside shooting. Khemanni Davis, Nils Baumeisters, Jack Garrison IV and Ian Hardy all sank some big shots from behind the arc throughout the first half. Salem got back on top in the final few minutes of the first half, and grew their lead to 34-29 heading into the halftime break.
Coming out of the locker room after the halftime intermission, Salem had to keep their foot on the gas in order to keep the Saints at bay. Brandon Francois and Kapone Barley opened up scoring for the Tigers, and Salem's lead grew to as many as 11. However, D'Youville was not going to go away quietly. The Saints stormed back with a second half rally and brought the game as close as 3 points with under 10 minutes to go. Head Coach Vince Thibodeau's team held their water and were able to capitalize on D'Youville foul troubles down the stretch. Khemanni Davis would add the final point of the game for Salem from the free throw line, and the Tigers were able to celebrate the New Year in style with a well-earned 74-67 win over D'Youville.
In the scorebook, Salem was led by Kapone Barley, who earned a double-double with 19 points and a whopping 15 rebounds. Jack Garrison IV also added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Khemanni Davis, Ian Hardy, and Brandon Francois rounded out the Tigers in double figures with 12, 11, and 10 points respectively.
Salem should have some big energy with this win as they continue their 3 game home stand on January 10th at 7:30 PM when they have a rematch with the Charleston Golden Eagles. Salem fell to Charleston 78-63 in the season opener back on November 10th.
