SALEM, West Virginia- As the cold conditions continued in the mountain state, the Salem Tigers men's basketball returned home for a Wednesday night contest against the Wheeling Cardinals. The Tigers looked to get back in the win column against the Cardinals. Fortunately, the Tigers were able to do just that as the offense exploded for an 110-95 victory. 

In the first half, the Tigers jumped out to an early 8-2 lead after a layup from Kevin Constant. Salem would extend their good start even more when Jalen Barnes knocked down a triple at the 14:45 mark to give the Tigers a 16-6 lead. Wheeling started to get some rhythm on offense and were able to cut the deficit down to 6 over the next 4 minutes of play. With 10 minutes remaining, Salem held a 24-18 lead. Both teams would exchange baskets over the next 5 minutes and Salem would still hold a 35-28 lead. The Tigers were able to contain the Cardinals from making a big run as the half came to an end. Salem led 54-45 at intermission. 

In the second half, the Tigers needed to get off to a good start to maintain the lead. Fortunately, the Tigers were able to do just that as Isaac James and Jalen Barnes both knocked down triples early on. Tyree Davis hit a three at the 16-minute mark giving the Tigers a commanding 67-50 lead. However, Wheeling would not go down quietly as they were able to get it down to a 6-point deficit. At the 12-minute mark, Salem held a 71-65 lead. The Tigers needed to get the offense rolling again to avoid the comeback and were able to do just that. Salem extended the lead to 90-78 with 5 minutes left in game time. Wheeling would try to make one last push, but it would be Salem that prevailed to a 15-point victory. Salem defeated Wheeling by a final score of 110-95. 

On the stats sheet, the Tigers had an impressive three players who hit 20 or more points. Daquan Coleman led the way with 26 and knocking down 6 triples. Jalen Barnes scored 22 while shooting 80 percent beyond the arc. Kevin Constant added 20 points on 70 percent shooting from the field.

After a huge win, the Tigers improve to 5-12 on the season and will look to build on this momentum for the rest of the season. The Tigers will have another chance to get in the win column as they play host to Point Park University at Saturday January 25^th at 4pm.