SALEM, WV – Despite a spirited second-half comeback attempt, the Salem Tigers (8-19) dropped their home matchup to Point Park (8-18), falling 77-62 at the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

A Challenging First Half

The Tigers struggled to find their rhythm early in the contest. Point Park opened with a high-octane offense, shooting 54.55% from the field and an impressive 53.33% from beyond the arc in the first period. Salem found themselves trailing 44-21 at the break after a difficult shooting stretch where they hit only 31.03% of their shots and failed to convert any of their nine three-point attempts.

Second Half Surge

Salem emerged from the locker room with renewed energy, outscoring Point Park 41-33 in the final frame. The Tigers found success in the paint, matching Point Park with 34 total points in the lane for the game.

The Tigers' bench was a significant bright spot, outscoring the Point Park reserves 23-9. Key individual performances included:

• Zahki Fallen led the scoring effort for Salem with 14 points off the bench.

• Xavier Price contributed 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds before fouling out late in the game.

• Eman Lawal reached double digits with 10 points, including a late three-pointer that cut the deficit to single digits with just over two minutes remaining.

• Justin Fisher anchored the boards for the Tigers, hauling down a team-high 8 rebounds.

Ultimately, Point Park's Aidan Anderson proved difficult to contain, racking up a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds. While Salem improved their shooting to 51.72% in the second half, the early deficit proved too large to overcome.