RALEIGH, N.C. – Less than 24 hours after picking up a 13-point win over Meredith at Varsity Gym, the Salem basketball team completed a home-and-home series with the Avenging Angels by suffering a 66-62 setback in Raleigh on Sunday, January 30th.
Salem (2-14, 1-9 USA South) was led offensively by Dionne Sampson, who scored 19 points, while the trio of Cree Bass, Savanah Atkins and Alize Munn added nine points apiece. Sampson knocked down 7-of-14 field goals, hitting 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and was 2-of-3 at the free throw line as she equaled her best single-game scoring performance of the season. The Spirits were 23-of-56 (41.1%) from the floor in the contest, converting seven treys and closed the afternoon by hitting 9-of-15 (60%) at the charity stripe.
Tyler Davenport was the most active player on the glass for Salem, hauling in seven rebounds. Atkins grabbed six, including five on the defensive end, while Sampson forced four steals.
Atkins helped Salem pull to within five, 53-48, just over midway through the fourth by virtue of an Atkins free throw conversion. The lead remained at five for the next 1:20 of the contest, before a Sampson trey brought Salem to within two, 56-54.
Meredith eventually moved in front by five, following a layup by Mikayla Thompson, before a series of Sampson free throws pulled it back to three. Sampson came through with a layup, following a pass from Munn, with 41 seconds that resulted in a 64-62 game. After free throws by Lindsay Bell provided Meredith with a 66-62 lead, Salem was unable to convert a late 3-pointer to force an extra session.
Meredith (3-16, 3-10 USA South) grabbed a first quarter lead, 17-14, behind the scoring tandem of Piper Carriere and Kate Perko, who combined for 15 points. The Avenging Angels knocked down 6-of-11 (54.5%) field goals, while Salem was also successful with six buckets. Knotted at seven-all, timely buckets by Munn and Alize Brooks resulted in a 6-0 for Salem. However, Meredith answered with a run of its own, closing out the frame by scoring 10 of the final 11 points.
The Spirits amped up their defensive efforts, limiting Meredith to nine points, while receiving four points from Natasha Guo and three each from Sampson and Munn, to assume the 28-26 lead at the intermission. After falling behind 23-16, Salem capitalized on a series of free throws by Sampson and Guo to regain the lead, 24-23. Munn and Guo added buckets down the stretch to move ahead at the half.
Perko was the go-to for the Meredith offense in the third quarter, hitting 5-of-7 from the floor while grabbing six rebounds (four offensive), as she tallied 11 points. With Salem leading 32-28, following a layup by Lauren Privette, the Avenging Angels retaliated to draw even at 34. Bass drained a pair of 3-pointers later in the frame, pushing the lead to 43-39 at 2:41, before an 11-0 run forged Meredith in front by seven to close the quarter.
Salem opens February with a trio of home games against Pfeiffer (Feb. 1), Greensboro (Feb. 3) and Averett (Feb. 5).