SALEM, WV - The Lady Tigers were back on their home court this afternoon for the first of a two-game homestand for Salem. The Tigers (4-15) hosted the visiting Bobcats (5-11) of West Virginia Wesleyan for their second matchup against them this season. In their first game, the Tigers emerged victorious in a 64-61 game on the Bobcats home court.

It was the Tigers who struck first in this afternoon's matchup between two squads looking to keep their win streaks alive. Liliani Krause put the first three points on the board for Salem after a free throw followed by a strong drive to the basket. From there the Bobcat offense kicked into gear led by Sydney Baird and Courtney Wilfong who combined for a 7-0 run on the Tigers to claim the Bobcat's first lead of the game. Down the stretch of the first quarter, Salem found some offensive rhythm and cut into the lead that the Bobcats had built. Going into the second quarter the Tigers found themselves down 19-12.

Salem came out of the break swinging to get back into the game. Elena Pericic got the scoring started with a shot from deep to tack three more on the board for Salem followed by Cassandra Smith who began to find success going to the rim and generating contact. The Bobcat press gave the Tigers trouble in the opening minutes, but eventually, they made the adjustments necessary to get into their half-court offense. The Bobcats continued to be led by Sydney Baird who was proving to be a tough matchup for the Tigers as she scored consistently at the rim and from deep. At the half, Salem found themselves down 32-26.

To start the third quarter of action the Tigers got the offense rolling. A collaborative effort among the starting lineup led the Tigers to eight points early in an attempt to regain their earlier lead, but the Bobcat offense refused to be held down, seemingly having a response to every Tiger bucket. Scoring slowed for both squads as the quarter continued and the Tigers were unable to get their groove back. Going into the fourth quarter Salem found themselves down 48-38.

The Tiger's early offense came exclusively from the charity stripe where Anna Machytkova and Elena Pericic were able to convert. Anete Bluma teamed up with Pericic as the quarter progressed to provide a strong interior presence. As the fourth quarter wound down the Bobcats turned to Sydney Baird once again to try and put the game on ice for West Virginia Wesleyan. Salem was unable to stop Baird from getting to the rim almost always ending in a made layup or two attempts for her from the free throw line. In the end, the Tigers were unable to pull off the comeback and lost 66-53.

The Tigers will finish up their home stand on Wednesday, February 7th when they host the Pioneers (14-5) of Glenville State. This will be the second matchup between the two squads this season with the Tigers looking to get revenge after an 88-94 loss to the Pioneers in Glenville back in December.

SALEM STAT LEADERS

Points: Elena Pericic (14)

Assists: Carine Pinkney (3)

Rebounds: Elena Pericic (9)

Blocks: Cassandra Smith (2)