WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem basketball team wraps up its season series with Mary Baldwin on Wednesday, January 9th, when the two teams meet at Varsity Gym. The game will serve as a Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness contest. It is the first of four games in a five-day stretch for the Spirits, who face Averett (Feb. 10), William Peace (Feb. 12) and Warren Wilson (Feb. 13) in succession.
ABOUT PLAY4KAY: The vision of Play4Kay came directly from Coach Kay Yow. Through Play4Kay, she saw a way to bring communities together and honor cancer warriors in the fight against ALL cancers affecting women. As Play4Kay evolved, the mechanisms for fundraising have expanded and so have the initiatives. Schools nationwide are finding ways to "Play4Kay" on and off the basketball court.
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LAST TIME OUT VERSUS MARY BALDWIN (Dec. 4, 2021): Cree Bass had a solid all-around performance with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, but it was a 24-point fourth quarter that allowed Mary Baldwin to separate itself from Salem as the Fighting Squirrels claimed a 68-54 win in Staunton, Va.
Bass led the Salem offense by hitting 4-of-9 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers, along with two free throws. Bass also led the Spirits in rebounds with seven (six defensive) and three assists. She was joined in double figure scoring by Savanah Atkins, who finished with 11 points and two steals. Atkins knocked down 4-of-9 from the floor, converting one long distance trey, and was successful on two free throws.
Kyana Thomas had a solid performance for the Spirits with a team-high nine points off the bench after finishing 4-of-9 from the floor. Sarah Nelson added six points, by virtue of 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, as the reserves accounted for 20 points. Lauren Privette was active on defense with a team-best four steals.
Jalen Gathers came through with 24 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs, for the Fighting Squirrels, who moved to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in USA South play. Joining her in double-digit scoring were Demet Saygili (12 points) and Mekayla Clarke (11), leading the way for a unit that hit 22-of-66 from the floor and 23-of-37 at the free throw line.
Mary Baldwin owned a 53-40 advantage on the glass between the combination of Gathers and teammates Mary Moran and A'Cetta Farrait, who grabbed 10 rebounds each. Saygili added eight steals for the Fighting Squirrels.
ANALYZING THE SPIRITS: With five games remaining in the season, including four USA South Conference contests, Salem (3-17, 2-12 USA South) has three players with 100 points in scoring, including Tyler Davenport (140), Cree Bass (128) and Dionne Sampson (118). That trio has helped Salem hit 36.7 percent (308-839) from the floor and 67.5 percent (193-286) at the free throw line.
Bass leads the way in field goals made (44-110) and field goal percentage (40%), while knocking down 19-of-55 from 3-point range en route to 128 points. Meanwhile, Davenport and Sampson have each converted 41 field goals in league action, but Davenport has a decisive edge in free throws (54-of-71), resulting in a 76.1 percentage at the charity stripe.
Tamsi Echendu is the top rebounder for Salem, corralling 90 total (55 defensive) on the slate. Davenport is second with 66, three more than first year teammate Alize Munn, who has hauled in 63 in nine contests. Lauren Privette leads the unit with 16 blocks, while Sampson (26) and Bass (19) are first and second in steals.
MARY BALDWIN PREVIEW: The Fighting Squirrels enter Wednesday evening on a three-game winning streak, which began with an 87-69 victory over William Peace on February 4th.
Jalen Gathers leads the way for the Mary Baldwin offense with 221 points, hitting 74-of-168 from the floor (44%) and 60-of-99 (60.6%) from the free throw line. She is tied with teammate Demet Saygili for most 3-pointers (13) on the team, with Saygili ranking second in points scored with 165.
The duo of Saygili and Gathers are also among the top rebounders for the Fighting Squirrels with Saygili pulling down 92 boards (83 defensive) on the season. Gathers is responsible for 75 rebounds, including 59 on the defensive glass.
Saygili has a team-high 42 steals, 17 more than teammate A'Cetta Farrait, while Hannah Varner leads the unit with seven blocks.
The Fighting Squirrels have won the last five games in the head-to-head series with Salem.
