Site: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Score: Salem 87, Warren Wilson 66
Records: Salem (1-0) / Warren Wilson (0-1)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Salem's Sharee' Boyd notched the first win of her NCAA coaching career in record-setting fashion, leading the Spirits to a decisive 87-66 victory over Warren Wilson in the season opener for both teams. Boyd's unit posted the second-largest margin of victory (21 points) in Salem history, behind only a 41-point win in the 2017 season-opener, which came over Hollins (87-46).
Salem had four players reach double figures in scoring, including Cree Bass who notched a single-game career-high 25 points after hitting 8-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and connecting on 7-of-12 free throws. Bass also came through with three assists for the Spirits.
Alize Brooks was one of three Salem starters to reach double-digit points, finishing with 14 points, while Alize Munn and Dionne Sampson added 12 points apiece. Brooks drained a pair of 3-pointers to reach double figures, while Munn knocked down 6-of-12 field goals and hauled in a team-best nine rebounds, including six on the defensive glass.
Sampson reached double figures due in large part to hitting 6-of-6 at the charity stripe, while coming through with six rebounds and a team-best five assists. Tamsi Echendu also provided a spark off the bench with five points, six rebounds (five offensive) and three steals for Salem, which recorded 11 steals in the contest.
Salem was 30-of-71 (42.3%) from the field in the contest, hitting seven 3-pointers along the way, and managed a 20-of-36 (55.6%) outing at the free throw line.
FIRST QUARTER
Salem established a 19-17 lead by the end of the opening frame, hitting 7-of-20 (35%) from the floor along the way. Two of those seven shots, the Spirits converted from 3-point range, while Warren Wilson countered with an 8-for-15 (53.3%) shooting performance. With the game knotted at six-all, a trey from Bass coupled with a tip-in by Sampson stretched the Salem advantage to 11-6. The two teams would endure two ties before the Spirits ended scoring with a Bass free throw.
SECOND QUARTER
Warren Wilson grabbed a 20-19 lead early in the fourth, but Munn responded with a layup to push Salem back in front quickly. The Spirits maintained their lead with a series of scores from Atkins and Brooks, making for a 24-22 advantage. Munn stretched the margin to four, 28-24, with a layup following a Bass assist. However, the Owls countered with a 6-2 run, tying the game at 30 with a 3-pointer from Jenna Onderko. A trey from Battistini coupled with free throws from Sampson and Brooks, along with a layup by Echendu, gave Salem the lead at the intermission.
THIRD QUARTER
Leading by one, 38-37, coming out of the intermission, Salem distanced itself in the third quarter by hitting eight field goals, including three 3-pointers, while turning up its defensive pressure which held the Owls to 6-of-16 (37.5%) from the floor. Bass sparked the offensive attack with 13 points, while Brooks drained a pair of treys en route to a nine-point frame. After Warren Wilson tied the contest at 42-all with a 3-pointer from Moosie Lewis, Bass singlehandedly scored the next seven points. Brooks knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner, following a Sampson pass, to stretch the lead to 10. Bass tallied four points in the final 2:44 of the quarter to give Salem a 64-55 advantage.
FOURTH QUARTER
Salem put the Owls away with a 23-11 outburst in the fourth quarter, securing Boyd's first win in the NCAA ranks. Sampson was the offensive spark with eight points in the frame, handing out two assists along the way. Cristina Battistini hit a 3-pointer inside the first minute of the quarter to give Salem a 67-55 lead and a double-digit lead it would not relinquish. The combination of buckets from Munn, Sampson and Bass inside the seven-minute mark, stretched Salem's lead to 75-56. Savanah Atkins put the lead at 20, 82-62, with 3:37 remaining in the contest by hitting the first of two free throws. The Spirits surrendered just five points from that point forward to secure the win.
SALEM NOTES
-Boyd's unit posted the second-largest margin of victory (21 points) in Salem history, behind only a 41-point win in the 2017 season-opener, which came over Hollins (87-46).
-The victory marks the fifth in a season-opener in Salem basketball history and first since an 87-46 victory over Hollins in 2017.
- Cree Bass notched a single-game career-high 25 points after hitting 8-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and connecting on 7-of-12 free throws. Bass also came through with three assists for the Spirits.
-Alize Munn knocked down 6-of-12 field goals and hauled in a team-best nine rebounds, including six on the defensive glass.
-Salem was 30-of-71 (42.3%) from the field in the contest, hitting seven 3-pointers along the way, and managed a 20-of-36 (55.6%) outing at the free throw line.
