BUCKHANNON, West Virginia - After their big win over Davis & Elkins at home, the Salem women's basketball team hit the road this afternoon to take on another local rival. This time they had a matchup with the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats on the docket. Salem played well, but ultimately fell to a tough Bobcat squad X-X. 

In the first quarter, the Tigers had a slow start, and the Bobcats quickly built an early lead. The Tigers kept the pressure on however, and clawed their way back into the contest with some key baskets from Kamryn Ruffin and Carine Pinkney late in the period. However, the Bobcats still held a 15-9 lead.

In the second, the Tigers needed to get the offensive attack moving if they were to keep pace with the Bobcats. They made some strides in that direction with some solid contributions from Kasaya Krause, but West Virginia Wesleyan still held a 31-21 lead going into the halftime break.

After the intermission, Salem uncorked their best offensive showing of the day. A flurry of three pointers from Taja Stephens fueled a massive Tiger comeback rally. Salem even took a slim lead at 41-40, but the Bobcats pushed right back to take a 49-41 lead going into the fourth.

In the final period, Salem needed a big offensive burst in order to whittle away the Bobcat advantage. Salem made a valiant effort, and got big shots down the stretch from Cassandra Smith. However, it was simply too little too late. West Virginia Wesleyan ultimately pulled away with the 69-54 win. 

Statistically, Salem was led offensively by 16 points from Carine Pinkney. Liliani Krause finished just behind her with 14 points, and Cassandra Smith chipped in 10 points to round out the Tigers in double figures. 

Despite the loss, Salem still has a couple of chances to right the ship ahead of the holiday break. The first of those chances comes on December 19th at 1 PM when they head up to Painesville, Ohio to take on the Lake Erie College Storm.