Opponent:
Salem at Warren Wilson | Swannanoa, N.C. | Tuesday, November 14 | 7 p.m.

SALEM OPENS 2023-24 CAMPAIGN AT WARREN WILSON
The Salem basketball team opens up the 2023-24 campaign, its 16th in program history, on Tuesday evening when the Spirits head to Western North Carolina for a clash with Warren Wilson. The Spirits have faced Warren Wilson on eight occasions and the two teams have each won four games, two on their opponents' home court.

GRAB YOUR ROSTER, YOU WILL NEED IT FOR FAMILIARITY
Salem basketball underwent a major roster overhaul during the offseason and the 2023-24 roster will have nine first year players.

Additionally, head coach Sharee' Boyd and her staff added sophomore Ti'Erra Lee as a transfer to the program. Lee competed at LeTourneau University in Texas, where she appeared in five games. Her best individual outing of the season came on November 21st against the University of Dallas, where she scored a season-high six points in win. She also had season-high three rebounds and an assist versus Blackburn just over a month later on December 29.

The five returnees include sophomore Christina Battistini, along with seniors Alize Munn, Natasha Guo, Cree Bass and Dionne Sampson.

Battistini capsule 2022-23: Closed out a solid first season on the hardwoods with 61 rebounds and 54 points for the Spirits … her 61 rebounds were the fifth-most on the team … climbed the offensive glass for 25 boards … hit 19 field goals, including six 3-pointers, along with 10 free throws for Salem … also dished out 19 assists and forced 18 steals.

Bass capsule 2022-23: Notched 182 points over the course of the season, while making 13 starts in 21 games played for Salem … most effective 3-point shooter for Salem, hitting 25-of-99 along the way … a multi-talented player, who grabbed the fifth-most total rebounds (82), including 70 on the defensive glass … responsible for the second-most assists (50) and steals (41) on the team in 2022-23 … exploded for 25 points, hitting 8-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-12 from the free throw line, in the season-opener against Warren Wilson (Nov. 8).

Guo capsule 2022-23: Logged 117 minutes over the course of 18 games … ended the season with seven points, hitting three field goals along the way … grabbed 12 rebounds, including eight defensive boards, while making three steals and three assists.

Munn capsule 2022-23: Wrapped up her season by scoring the second-most points (231) on the team after converting 96-of-200 (48%) of her field goal attempts … played in 21 games, making 16 starts along the way … hauled in the second-most total rebounds (125) on the team, behind only Tamsi Echendu, grabbing 81 defensive and 44 offensive boards … notched the eighth-most single-season blocks (26) in program history … responsible for 23 steals and 17 assists over the course of the slate.

Sampson capsule: Sampson will look to provide the same firepower to the Spirits' offense as she did a season ago, when she led all Salem players in scoring with 306 points (13.3 ppg), after hitting 97-of-231 from the floor. Sampson heads into her final year of eligibility with 675 points (7th-most all-time), 231 field goals (9th-most all-time) and 222 rebounds. She is one of just five players in program history to score 600 points, grab 200 rebounds, hand out 100 assists and force 100 steals.

HOW THE SPIRITS FAIR IN SEASON OPENERS
Salem has posted five wins in season-opening contests dating back to the inaugural season of the basketball program in 2007-08. The Spirits won their first-ever NCAA Division III contest by a 48-44 margin over Bennett on November 16, 2007 in a home contest at Varsity Gym.

Two years later, on November 15, 2009, the Spirits claimed their second season opener against Agnes Scott (80-70) when the two met in the Jackie Ammons Memorial Tournament in Raleigh, N.C.

Salem's third win in a season opener would not come until the 2016-17 season, when the Spirits came away with a 63-52 win over Methodist on November 15, 2016 under then head coach Britni Mohoney. The following season, Mohoney again lead Salem to a season-opening victory, as the Spirits downed Hollins by an 87-46 margin, marking the first time in program history that Salem opened the season with consecutive wins in the first game.

HOW THE 2023 SEASON OPENER, AND BOYD'S CAREER STARTED AT SALEM
Salem's Sharee' Boyd notched the first win of her NCAA coaching career in record-setting fashion, leading the Spirits to a decisive 87-66 victory over Warren Wilson in the season opener for both teams. Boyd's unit posted the second-largest margin of victory (21 points) in Salem history, behind only a 41-point win in the 2017 season-opener, which came over Hollins (87-46).

Salem had four players reach double figures in scoring, including Cree Bass who notched a single-game career-high 25 points after hitting 8-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and connecting on 7-of-12 free throws. Bass also came through with three assists for the Spirits.

Alize Brooks was one of three Salem starters to reach double-digit points, finishing with 14 points, while Alize Munn and Dionne Sampson added 12 points apiece. Brooks drained a pair of 3-pointers to reach double figures, while Munn knocked down 6-of-12 field goals and hauled in a team-best nine rebounds, including six on the defensive glass.

Sampson reached double figures due in large part to hitting 6-of-6 at the charity stripe, while coming through with six rebounds and a team-best five assists. Tamsi Echendu also provided a spark off the bench with five points, six rebounds (five offensive) and three steals for Salem, which recorded 11 steals in the contest.

Salem was 30-of-71 (42.3%) from the field in the contest, hitting seven 3-pointers along the way, and managed a 20-of-36 (55.6%) outing at the free throw line.

USA SOUTH PRESEASON POLLS ANNOUNCED
The Salem basketball team was selected eighth in the 2023-24 USA South Conference Preseason Polls, which were announced in a release from the league office on Tuesday, October 24th. Meanwhile, N.C. Wesleyan was billed as the top team in the polls, which were conducted by the league's head coaches.

Sharee' Boyd, who enters her second year at the helm of the Salem basketball program, returns five players from a 2022-23 squad that finished with six victories, three of which came by virtue of forfeits.

N.C. Wesleyan was placed atop the rankings thanks to receiving 76 total points and five of the possible ten first place votes. The Battling Bishops posted a 14-4 regular season League record last season to place second before falling in the Conference tournament title game. The 14 USA South wins tied the most since the 2019-20 season. Brevard placed second in the preseason poll with 71 points and two first place votes while Southern Virginia rounded-out the top-three with 64 points and two first place votes of its own. The final first place vote went to defending USA South regular season and tournament champion Greensboro, who sits fifth in the poll.

Since the first Conference women's basketball preseason poll in 2003-04, the N.C. Wesleyan program has been picked to capture the title twice and has succeeded in one of those seasons. The team picked first in the history of the preseason poll has reached at least the semifinals of the Conference tournament 19 out of 20 times, played for the championship 15 of those years, and won the League title on nine occasions. Conversely, the team picked second in the preseason poll has won the Conference championship six times.

SALEM MAKING NINTH ALL-TIME CLASH WITH WARREN WILSON
Salem will make the trek to Western North Carolina to Swannanoa for its ninth all-time meeting with the Owls.

The Spirits have won two games against Warren Wilson on the road, most recently on January 21, 2014 by an 83-40 margin.

Before Salem opened the 2022-23 season with an 87-66 victory over the Owls, Warren Wilson had won four games in the head-to-head series. Two of those losses came on the road for the Spirits (2016 / 2021) and two at home (2016 / 2019).

The last win in Swannanoa for Salem, which came by virtue of an 83-40 score, was due in large part to 17 points from Satavia Taylor and 15 points by Jasmine Shabazz, both starters. The Spirits hit 34-of-77 (44.2%) from the floor in the victory, knocking down seven 3-pointers along the way.

ALL-TIME SERIES (vs. Warren Wilson)