Site: Winston-Salem, N.C. / Varsity Gym

Score: Johnson & Wales 76, Salem 58

Records: Johnson & Wales (8-3) / Salem (1-7)

Next Game: Salem at Guilford / December 29 / 12:30 p.m.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Jayla Lovett scored a game-high 20 points in reserve, one of three Johnson & Wales players to top double-digit scoring, as the Wildcats held off solid performances by Salem's Dionne Sampson (16 points) and Alize Munn (14) to emerge with a 76-58 victory at Varsity Gym on Saturday afternoon.

Sampson capped off her seventh double-digit performance of the slate by hitting 6-of-13 from the floor, all three free throw conversions, while grabbing six rebounds and handing out five assists. Munn came through with a 6-of-11 performance, converting 2-of-4 at the free throw line, while grabbing seven rebounds.

Tamsi Echendu led all Salem rebounders with nine, grabbing four on the offensive glass, while coming through with eight points. Cree Bass also added five rebounds for Salem, helping the Spirits close with 41 rebounds as a team.

FIRST QUARTER
The Spirits capped off a solid shooting performance in the opening frame, hitting 6-of-15 (40%) from the field to end the frame just two points off the pace, 18-16. Salem received five points apiece from Minnie Griffin and Bass, while Munn converted four points. After falling behind 2-0, Salem answered with seven straight points to grab a 7-2 lead on a Sampson jump shot. The game reached an 11-all deadlock, following a jumper from Munn, but Johnson & Wales closed the frame by scoring seven of the final 12 points to lead 18-16.

SECOND QUARTER
The Wildcats distanced themselves in the second quarter, capitalizing on a 28-15 outburst, to lead 46-31 at the intermission. Lovett was the sparkplug with 13 points in the frame, hitting 4-of-4 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Joyiah White added seven as the Wildcats closed the quarter by hitting 10-of-16 (62.5%) from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line. Salem pulled the margin to one, 28-27 following a jumper from Munn with six minutes left, but an 18-4 run by Johnson & Wales ended the quarter.

THIRD QUARTER
Salem had its best scoring quarter of the contest in the third, finishing with an 18-14 advantage, with Sampson netting 11 of the 18 points. Six of Salem's points came at the charity stripe with Sampson converting 3-of-3. The Spirits offense trimmed the margin to 11 at one point, 58-47, after Sampson drained the second of two free throws with just under one-minute remaining. Sampson grabbed a rebound with 10 seconds remaining, scoring a fast break that put the game at single digits, before a buzzer beater by Tanaeschia Dorsey resulted in a 60-49 advantage.

FOURTH QUARTER
The Wildcats limited Salem to nine points in the fourth quarter, limiting the Spirits to just two points over a 4:34 stretch as they moved the lead to 74-51 in the process. Sampson halted the drought with a 3-pointer and points down the stretch from Munn and Natasha Guo resulted in the final points of the contest for the Spirits.

SALEM NOTES
-Alize Munn came through with a 6-of-11 performance, converting 2-of-4 at the free throw line, while grabbing seven rebounds.
-Dionne Sampson, who tallied 16 points, has now topped double figures in seven of eight games this season.
- Tamsi Echendu led all Salem rebounders with nine, grabbing four on the offensive glass, while coming through with eight points.
-Salem tallied 41 rebounds on the afternoon, the same amount as the Wildcats.