Opponent:
Salem at N.C. Wesleyan | Rocky Mount, N.C. | 2 p.m. | Everett Gymnasium

LONGEST ROAD STRETCH OF THE SEASON CONCLUDES ON WEDNESDAY
The Salem basketball team wraps up its longest road swing of the season on Wednesday, January 3rd, when the Spirits head to Rocky Mount, N.C. The four-game road stretch concludes when the two USA South Conference opponents tip off for a 2 p.m. contest at Everett Gymnasium.

SPIRITS WRAP UP 2023 CALENDAR YEAR WITH SETBACK TO CAVALIERS
Virginia Edmondson poured in a game-high 23 points, hitting 8-of-16 from the field and five 3-pointers along the way, and was one of four Cavaliers in double figures as Montreat capitalized on a 44 percent field goal percentage (35-of-79) to earn an 89-41 victory over Salem on Saturday, December 30th.

Edmondson piloted the offensive attack with six assists and led the defensive charge with five steals. Joining her among double-digit scorers were Rymiah Sanders (15), Grace Rinaldo (11) and Chesnee Freeman (11).

Salem was led by the duo of Alize Munn (nine points) and Cree Bass (eight), struggling to find its offensive rhythm by hitting just 14-of-52 (26.9%) from the floor. Bass led the way from beyond the arc, knocking down two 3-pointers, while Dashe'na Hopkins came off the bench to convert two from 3-point range.

Munn was also active on the glass with eight rebounds, grabbing five defensive, while Ti'Erra Lee and Dionne Sampson snagged four apiece.

Edmondson put Montreat into the lead early, scoring 16 of Cavaliers' 26 points in the first quarter. She hit 6-of-7 from the field, including four from 3-point range, to lead the way. Bass countered with six points for Salem, which tallied 11 points in the frame.

The Cavaliers continued their hot shooting in the second quarter, while Salem's struggles remained. Limited to just seven points, three from Munn herself, the Spirits surrendered 19 points.

Montreat combined for 44 points in the second half, limiting Salem to just 23, to drop the Spirits to 5-4 on the season.

SAMPSON, SPIRITS MAKING THEIR MARKS EARLY IN 2023-24
Entering the 10th game of the slate, the Spirits have had two double-double performances, both from senior Alize Munn, along with Dionne Sampson moving her career totals to over 800 points.

Munn became the first player in the 2023-24 campaign to notch a double-double, which came as part of a 17-point, 14-rebound performance against Trinity (D.C.). She followed that by having 27 points and 10 rebounds in the clash with Agnes Scott.

Sampson, who entered the season with 675 points to her credit, has scored 282 points in the first nine contests of the season. With 821 points in her career, including eight double-digit performances in 2023-24, Sampson needs just 179 points to reach 1,000 in her career. She would become the fourth different Spirit to reach that milestone. The others include Sabrina Shepherd (1,493), Quntashea Lewis (1,208) and MiKayla Seivers (1,126).

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
One of the primary improvements defensively has been the ability to rebound the ball, which has resulted in a 353-378 (-22) differential on the glass. Alize Munn leads all Spirits with 60 rebounds, 15 more than teammate Ti'Erra Lee and 24 more caroms than Dionne Sampson, who is third on the unit with 36 boards.

Munn has snapped down a team-best 35 defensive boards, while Lee has 23 on the campaign, tying her alongside Aliyah Corpening for third-most. Cree Bass accounts for the second-most defensive rebounds (26).

Another key to Salem's defensive successes in 2023-24 has come in the form of steals. Through the first nine games of the slate, the Spirits have forced 117 steals, giving them a 21-steal advantage over the opposition. In the last five seasons, Salem has twice finished with at least 225 steals, which came in 2017-18 (248) and 2021-22 (243). The program record for most swipes in a season belongs to the 2012-13 unit, which tallied 408 in 28 contests.

SPIRITS COMPLETE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, HEAD TO USA SOUTH CONFERENCE SLATE
Saturday's game versus Montreat marked the final non-conference game of the 2023-24 regular season for Salem. From this point forward, the Spirits will face only USA South Conference affiliated members.

The Spirits enter the final two months of the campaign with a 1-1 mark in league play, earning a 65-53 win over Meredith in the USA South Conference opener on November 21st, before suffering a 66-46 setback to Brevard on December 2nd.

RECAP (vs. Meredith): For the first time in six years the Salem basketball team opened its USA South Conference schedule with a victory and coincidentally extended the program's best start to open a season to 4-0. The 65-53 triumph on Tuesday evening came at league rival Meredith, the same program that the Spirits defeated on November 26, 2017, when Salem last started USA South Conference play 1-0 in the 2017-18 campaign.

Fifth-year senior guard Dionne Sampson led the way for the Salem offense with a game-high 17 points, while Cree Bass poured in 11 points. Sampson was 6-of-16 from the floor and 5-of-7 at the charity stripe, while Bass came through with three field goals, including two from 3-point range, along with three free throws. Aliyah Corpening put together a solid outing for Salem with eight points, converting four at the charity stripe.

Ti'Erra Lee anchored the Salem post game with nine rebounds, grabbing six defensive boards, while adding seven points after hitting 3-of-6 from the floor. Corpening and Nykerah Engle were also active on the glass with five rebounds apiece. Engle also made her impact felt on defense with a game-high six steals.

Salem capped off its fourth win of the season by knocking down 22-of-60 (36.7%) from the floor and 2-of-8 (25%) at the free throw line. The Spirits hit 19-of-30 (63.3%) from the floor and held a 19-11 advantage in bench points. Salem's offense took advantage of 14 steals, outscoring Meredith 20-6 in fast break points.

RECAP (vs. Brevard): Senior guard Dionne Sampson poured in a game-high 25 points, hitting eight field goals and a trio of 3-pointers in the process, but it was the Brevard duo of Olivia Miller and Makenna Parkins, who combined for 31 points, that proved to be the difference as the visiting Tornados emerged with 66-46 victory in Varsity Gym on Saturday afternoon.

Sampson led the way with 25 points, converting 8-of-17 from the floor and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, while knocking down all six free throws. Teammate Alize Munn added eight points, finishing with three points and two free throws, while adding four steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots. Nykerah Engle came through with six points and two rebounds to round out the top Salem scorers.

The Spirits struggled to find their offensive rhythm in their second USA South Conference game of the season, hitting just 14-of-47 (29.8%) from the floor and 3-of-13 (23.1%) at the free throw line. The one bright spot for Salem was hitting 15-of-24 (62.5%) free throws.

Olivia Miller was the top scorer for the Tornados, closing with 16 points by virtue of 7-of-13 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds (seven defensive) along the way. Parkins tallied 15 points, while equaling her teammate in total rebounds, hitting 6-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 at the charity stripe.

Brevard finished 26-of-56 (46.4%) from the floor, despite missing all eight 3-point attempts, and knocked down 14-of-20 (70%) at the free throw line.

BREAKING DOWN THE BATTLING BISHOPS
N.C. Wesleyan brings a 3-6 record into the clash with Salem, claiming all three victories in USA South Conference action.

The Battling Bishops opened the season with consecutive losses to both Averett (62-55) and 12th-ranked Emory (81-44), before claiming a 101-67 victory against William Peace on November 21st.

After suffering a 112-40 exhibition loss to College of Charleston on November 25th, N.C. Wesleyan triumphed over both Brevard (71-59) and Pfeiffer (63-52) to move to 3-0 in league action.

December brought a tough stretch of contests for the Battling Bishops, who suffered their second loss of the slate to a ranked opponent, which came to 3rd-ranked Christopher Newport (90-69) on December 12th. Four days later, at Mary Washington, N.C. Wesleyan suffered a 56-40 setback. The month drew to a close with an 89-59 loss to the University of Lynchburg on December 30th.

Kayrisma Harrison leads all N.C. Wesleyan scorers with 95 points (11.9 ppg), 12 more than teammates Areina Harris and Corynthian Williams, who have 83 apiece. Harrison is not only the top scorer for the Battling Bishops, she is also the most efficient, hitting 39-of-62 (62.9%) from the floor on the season. She has also converted 17-of-22 (77.3%) free throw attempts, which also makes her the most efficient player at the charity stripe on the roster.

Harris and Williams provide the Battling Bishops pop from beyond the arc, hitting 20 and 10 3-pointers, respectively.

Along with being an offensive leader, Harrison leads all Battling Bishops in rebounding with 66, steals (12) and blocks (six) on defense. Meanwhile, Nadia Simmons (24) and Deonna Adams (21) lead the way in assists.

N.C. WESLEYAN HISTORY
The Battling Bishops have dominated the head-to-head series between the two programs to the tune of a 14-2 record.

The last Salem victory in the series came on January 20, 2018, when the Spirits emerged with an 84-71 victory in Rocky Mount. The lone Salem home triumph came on February 4, 2010, when the Spirits took down N.C. Wesleyan by an 84-68 score.

N.C. Wesleyan has won the last seven straight games.