SALEM, West Virginia - With snow flurries blanketing the Valley of Learning, Mike Carey Court in T. Edward Davis Gymnasium was getting set for the final homestand for the Salem Tigers women's basketball team ahead of the holiday break. Salem played host to the Davis & Elkins College Senators on Wednesday night, and the contest resulted in a strong 74-57 Tigers' victory. 

In the first quarter, things got started slowly on both sides. Neither side could find solid scoring chances, but the Tigers leaned on leading scorer Carine Pinkney to get things going for Salem. She opened things up for the Tigers, and got the Salem offensive attack rolling on their way to a strong 21-13 lead going into the second period. 

In that 2nd quarter, Salem got right back at it. The Tigers showed some strong offensive play that has been tough to find this season. The bulk of that work was done by Liliani Krause and Carmen Vasquez, who dominated the paint on both sides of the ball. Therefore, Salem took a vibrant 42-26 lead over the Senators into the halftime break. 

After the intermission, Salem continued their offensive showcase. Kori Pillette and Taja Stephens nailed a pair of key baskets in the period, and Salem went into the break with a 58-43 lead. 

In the fourth, the Senators launched a final comeback bid, but Salem handled it well. Kasaya Krause nailed a pair of threes that killed a couple of Senator runs, and the Tigers pulled away with the well-earned 74-57 victory. 

On the stats sheet, Carine Pinkney led the way for Salem with 22 points. Carmen Vasquez also had a strong night as she earned a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Liliani Krause finished just short of a double-double of her own with 12 points and 8 rebounds as well. 

With this solid win under their belts, Salem should have some newfound energy going into their next contest. That contest will be down in Buckhannon against the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats. Tipoff for that game will be on Saturday, December 14th at 2 PM.