Site:
Winston-Salem, N.C.

Score:
Salem 70, Mary Baldwin 62

Records:
Salem (8-13, 4-10 USA South) / Mary Baldwin (2-20, 1-14 USA South)

Next Game:
Salem at Southern Virginia | Buena Vista, Va. | 5:30 p.m. | February 6 | Knight Arena

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Dionne Sampson posted a game-high 24 points, topping the 20-point margin for the sixth time this season, as Salem earned its third home win of the season by a 70-62 margin over Mary Baldwin on Saturday afternoon.

Sampson capped off a solid two-game in two-day performance, returning to the floor less than 24 hours after scoring her 1,000th career point to finish 8-of-22 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc in the eight-point victory over the Fighting Squirrels. Sampson also came through with eight steals, four rebounds and three assists, all while hitting 5-of-8 at the free throw line.

Nykerah Engle also reached double figures, finishing with 10 points after knocking down 3-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 at the free throw line. Ti'Erra Lee led the Spirits in the paint with 11 rebounds, hauling in seven on the defensive glass, while Engle added six and Lily Gorum came through with five.

Salem was 22-of-73 (30.1%) from the field and 20-of-35 (57.1%) at the free throw line. The Spirits knocked down six of their 22 field goals from 3-point range.

FIRST QUARTER
Salem's offense emerged with 22 points, after the Spirits hit 9-of-23 from the floor, with Engle delivering eight points in the frame. Cree Bass knocked down the first field goal of the day, which came from long distance, as Salem eventually opened an 11-4 advantage keyed by a Sampson jumper. The Fighting Squirrels retaliated with a 7-2 run, slicing the deficit to 13-9, but Salem reached 20 points on a 3-pointer from Ti'Erra Lee.

SECOND QUARTER
Both offenses sputtered from the field in the second quarter with Salem getting six of its 10 points from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Fighting Squirrels scored five at the charity stripe and nine in the frame. Sampson led all scorers with four points, collecting three free throws to go along with one field goal.

THIRD QUARTER
Mary Baldwin had its best quarter of the day in the third, coming through with 21 points after hitting 8-of-16 from the floor and knocking down five free throws. Salem tacked on 18 points in the quarter with seven field goals, including three from beyond the arc. Bass sparked the offense with its first bucket, stretching the Spirits lead to nine before Gorum added a layup to stretch the margin to 36-25. Mary Baldwin countered with a 7-0 run, trimming the margin to four, but Lee kept Salem in front with a layup, 40-34. A series of 3-pointers from Bass and Sampson allowed Salem to close out the third period with a 50-46 lead.

FOURTH QUARTER
Mary Baldwin's surge for the lead resulted in a 50-all deadlock, following a layup from Codie Heilig just 1:20 into the quarter. Isabella Childs came off the bench to deliver seven points for Salem, sparking an offense that assumed a 59-50 lead. One final push by the Fighting Squirrels trimmed the lead to four, 60-56, on a layup by Angel Crowder. However, it was five free throws and a Sampson 3-pointer with time expiring on the shot clock that allowed the Spirits to earn the eight-point win.