Site:
Misenheimer, N.C.

Score:
Pfeiffer 65, Salem 58

Records:
Salem (7-9, 3-6 USA South) / Pfeiffer (4-10, 3-7 USA South)

Next Game:
Meredith vs. Salem | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 6 p.m. | January 23 | Varsity Gym

MISENHEIMER, N.C. — Dionne Sampson reached the double-digit mark for the 15th time this season, finishing with a team-high 18 points, while Nykerah Engle tallied 14 points for the Spirits in a 65-58 setback to USA South Conference foe Pfeiffer on Saturday afternoon in Misenheimer, N.C.

Sampson equaled Pfeiffer's Miya Horton in points by finishing 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 at the free throw line. She also dished out five assists, grabbed four rebounds and forced three steals in the clash with the Falcons.

Engle, who also reached double figures for Salem, was 6-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the free throw line. Engle was active on the glass with a team-high seven boards, one more than teammate Triana Smallwood, who closed with six. Both Ti'Erra Lee and Isabella Childs closed with eight points for Salem.

FIRST QUARTER
Despite hitting just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from the floor in the first quarter, Salem faced just a six-point deficit (18-12) heading into the second quarter. The Falcons opened the game on a 10-3 run, but Smallwood answered with four straight points for Salem, which quickly narrowed the lead to 10-7 with 4:34 remaining. Sampson continued to help the Salem push, adding a layup and a free throw, resulting in a 13-10 score. Pfeiffer closed out the half on a 5-2 run with the final two points coming from Sampson.

SECOND QUARTER
The Falcons managed to stretch their lead to 25-12 before Sampson knocked down a jumper just over two minutes in to deliver the first Salem points. The graduate senior guard, along with Cristina Battistini, who came through with two field free throws, managed to trim the deficit to 25-18 at the 6:35 mark. The Falcons put together an 8-2 run, stretching the lead to 13, before Engle and Childs trimmed the lead to single digits. Pfeiffer allowed just four points over the final 2:37 of the half to establish a 44-28 advantage at the intermission.

THIRD QUARTER
Salem came out strong in the third quarter, hitting 9-of-17 (52.9%) from the floor, as the two teams scored 18 points in the frame. The Falcons managed to stretch their lead to 52-32 with 6:03 on the clock, but four points from Lee and a driving layup by Childs helped narrow that lead to 17 just over three minutes later. Childs came through with the final points of the quarter, following a pass from Sampson, to make for a 62-46 contest through three quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER
Sampson came through on two free throws to trim the Pfeiffer lead to 14 inside the first three minutes. Engle and Childs followed with buckets of their own as Salem chipped away at the lead, resulting in a 64-54 contest. Engle converted a pull-up jumper, again by virtue of a Sampson assist, to pull the Spirits within nine. Sampson added a layup of her own 34 seconds later, but the Spirits were unable to pull any closer as Pfeiffer earned the seven-point victory.