SALEM, West Virginia- Following a road trip to Maryland, the Salem Tigers men's basketball team returned home to compete in the final home game of the season. The Tigers would take on the Falcons of Fairmont State on Senior Day. The Tigers looked to escape Senior Day with a massive victory, but unfortunately Fairmont would pull away in the final minutes to secure a 78-73 victory.

In the first half, Salem led 8-3 in the opening minutes after Jalen Barnes and Isaac James both got a layup. Fairmont was able to tie things back up at 13 with 14:32 remaining in the half. Across the midway point of the first period, the Falcons were able to take control of the game and had a 32-25 lead with just 5 minutes left. Fortunately, Daquan Coleman knocked in back-to-back triples and Fairmont just had a 1-point lead now. Fairmont was able to close the half with a 37-33 lead over Salem.

In the second half, both teams came out trading buckets back and forth while Fairmont still held a 47-44 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the contest. Kapone Barley and Kevin Constant would throw down back-to-back massive dunks as the Tigers now had a 51-47 lead. Moments later, Fairmont would hit a couple baskets and knot things up at 55 with just 10 minutes left. Fairmont was able to take control over the next 5 minutes, but still only held a 70-65 lead. The Tigers needed to get the offense rolling if they wanted to pull off the upset. Unfortunately, Fairmont would secure a 78-73 victory over Salem on Senior Day.

On the stats sheet, Daquan Coleman and Jalen Barnes both led for the Tigers with 16 points each. Kevin Constant with 15 points and Kapone Barley added 13 to round out the Tigers in double digits.

Despite the tough loss, the Tigers will look to regroup quickly as they prepare for their two-game road trip to close out the season. The Tigers next match up will occur on February 26^th as they travel to West Liberty for a 7:30 pm contest against the Hilltoppers.