Salem at Brevard | December 3 | Boshamer Gym | Brevard, N.C. | 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT (vs. Southern Virginia)
Southern Virginia scored 13 unanswered points to open the game and lead wire-to wire as it claimed a 76-53 victory over Salem at the Knight Arena & Stoddard Center in USA South Conference basketball action on Tuesday, November 29th.
Courtney Olson's 12 points led the way for Southern Virginia, while teammates Eve Schmalbeck (11) and Jadie O'Bray (10) reached double figures as well.
Alize Munn finished with a game-high 17 points, knocking down 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the floor, and Dionne Sampson closed with 10 points by virtue of a 3-of-7 shooting performance. Munn also climbed the glass for a team-high seven rebounds (three offensive), while Cree Bass added six assists for the Spirits.
Southern Virginia capitalized on a 33-of-73 (45.2%) outing from the floor, receiving 34 points from the reserves and 23 points via the fast break. Meanwhile, Salem was successful on 19-of-51 (37.3%) shooting from the floor and 14-of-22 (63.6%) at the free throw line. The Spirits scored 30 of their 53 points in the paint.
FIRST-EVER CLASH WITH BREVARD
Saturday afternoon marks the first-ever clash between Brevard and Salem on the hardwoods.
The Tornados will in turn make their first trip to Salem on Saturday, February 18th, marking the final regular season game of the 2022-23 season for the Spirits.
CLASH WITH BREVARD MARKS THIRD USA SOUTH CONFERENCE GAME
Saturday afternoon's clash with Brevard marks the third USA South Conference game for the Spirits and second at Varsity Gym.
Salem (1-5, 0-2 USA South) suffered a 72-65 setback in its league opener against Methodist following a fourth quarter surge, which resulted in a 24-8 scoring differential by the Monarchs.
The Spirits were led individually by first-year standout Minnie Griffin, who poured in a game-high 23 points, as well as Tamsi Echendu, who grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in their meeting with Methodist.
Methodist had four players in double figure scoring, including Kiley Hicks and Aniyah Tate, who notched 14 points apiece. Jillian Peterson added 13 points and Jessica Drake came through with 10 points.
Exactly one week later, on November 29th, Southern Virginia scored 13 unanswered points to open the game and lead wire-to wire as it claimed a 76-53 victory over Salem at the Knight Arena & Stoddard Center.
Courtney Olson's 12 points led the way for Southern Virginia, while teammates Eve Schmalbeck (11) and Jadie O'Bray (10) reached double figures as well. Alize Munn finished with a game-high 17 points, knocking down 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the floor, and Dionne Sampson closed with 10 points by virtue of a 3-of-7 shooting performance.
STATISTICAL LEADERS FOR THE SPIRITS
Alize Munn, who has 62 points to her credit in 2022-23, leads four Salem shooters who have 50 points on the season. Teammates Tamsi Echendu (59 points), Dionne Sampson (59) and Cree Bass (50) have also reached the 50-point mark through the first six games of the season for Salem.
Munn, who has knocked down 27-of-65 (49.1%) from the floor, is also tops in field goals made for Salem. Echendu owns the team mark for best field goal percentage (50%), converting 18-of-36, while Sampson has attempted the most shots (57). Echendu is also among the Top-3 free throw shooters at Salem, hitting 23-of-46, while Sampson paces the team hitting 21-of-27 (77.8%).
Bass, who has knocked down 5-of-23 from beyond the arc, is tops among 3-point shooters at Salem. Both Minnie Griffin and Sampson have four each to their credit.
Defensively, Echendu has made her presence felt with 40 rebounds, including 23 on the defensive glass. She has 11 steals, sharing the team-high with Munn, while Bass has dished out the most assists (23) of anyone in the backcourt.
PREVIEWING BREVARD
Brevard comes into the weekend with a mark of 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the USA South Conference.
The Tornados have won three of their last four contests, dating back to a 93-59 win over Warren Wilson on November 15th. Brevard followed up its win over the Owls by defeating N.C. Wesleyan (77-73) and Meredith (56-43), resulting in its two league wins, before watching the winning streak snapped with a 62-57 setback at Berry.
Selected to finish fifth in the USA South Preseason polls, Brevard is led offensively by the tandem of Makenna Perkins (92 points) and Olivia Miller (90). Miller has converted 42-of-80 (52.5%) from the floor to lead the Tornados in field goals made and attempted, while Naliyah Boyce's 56.8 percentage from the floor (21-37) is tops among shooters.
Calli Wells leads all long distance shooters for Brevard, hitting 5-of-25 from beyond the arc, while Perkins has been the most successful Tornado at the free throw line, hitting 34-of-42 (81%).
Perkins has also left her mark in the post with a team-high 66 rebounds, including 21 offensive boards, while making three blocks and eight steals. Lexi Shepard has forced the most steals (20), one more than Miller.