Site:
Charlotte, N.C.

Score:
Johnson & Wales 69, Salem 59

Records:
Salem (5-2) / Johnson & Wales (6-1)

Next Game:
Salem at Ferrum | Ferrum, Va. | 7 p.m.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Johnson & Wales bookended a pair of 20-point quarters and staved off a pair of double-digit point performances by Dionne Sampson (18) and Alize Munn (16) to earn a 69-59 victory over Salem in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday evening.

Sampson led all scorers with 18 points, hitting 7-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line, while grabbing six rebounds and forcing four steals. Munn came off the bench for Salem, finishing with 16 points after hitting 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 free throws. Munn equaled Sampson in rebounds with six, as did Ti'Erra Lee, and contributed two blocked shots.

The Spirits best shooting performance came from the free throw line, where they hit 15-of-18 (83.3%), but the offense was limited to 21-of-58 (36.2%) due in large part to 34 turnovers.

Johnson & Wales had three players reach double figure scoring, including Aimee Evans (13), Jordan Durant (12) and Jayla Lovett (10).

First Quarter
Sampson provided Salem with a 6-4 lead at the six-minute mark, but the Wildcats answered with a 9-0 run, capped off by a Lovett layup to move in front 13-6. Cree Bass drove home a 3-pointer to kick start the Spirits and Nykerah Engle followed with two free throws to trim the margin to two, 13-11. The Wildcats scored eight points in a 1:25 stretch, capped off by a Samara Britt free throw, but Bass answered with a 3-pointer inside the final five seconds to make for a 21-19 lead.

Second Quarter
Isabella Childs drove past the Wildcat defenders for a layup, while drawing a foul from Gabby Tapley, to give Salem a 22-21 lead at the 8:08 mark of the second. The back-and-forth battle for the lead ensued before Munn converted a jumper to even the contest at 25-all. Sampson scored six straight, stretching the lead to 31-25, before Munn took over with four points of her own to stretch the margin to seven, 35-28. Durant made a layup to cap off first half scoring as Salem held the 35-30 advantage.

Third Quarter
Limited to just two points in the first 2:22 of the frame, Munn hit a pair of free throws to provide Salem with a 39-36 lead. Sampson followed with a jump shot, extending that margin to five, but Durant highlighted a 6-0 run by Johnson & Wales, who moved in front 44-43 with 2:37 remaining. The Wildcats managed to hold that one-point lead at the close of the quarter, 49-48.

Fourth Quarter
Engle delivered the first shot of the quarter at the 8:02 mark, but four unanswered points allowed the Wildcats to push in front 55-50 on an Evans bucket. Bass knocked down a jump shot at the 3:32 mark, slicing the margin to 60-56, but a 12-2 run by the Wildcats resulted in a nine-point lead. Lee scored the final point of the contest for the Spirits, who suffered their first road loss of the season.