Salem vs. Pfeiffer| January 21| Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 2:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT (vs. Meredith)
Meredith capitalized on an 8-5 run in the final 4:52 of the third quarter, resulting in a 50-47 lead entering the final frame, before converting six field goals and eight free throws in the final quarter to earn a 70-61 victory in USA South Conference action on Wednesday evening in Raleigh, N.C.
Salem was led in scoring by Cree Bass, who finished 7-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Teammates Dionne Sampson (16) and Tamsi Echendu (10) also reached double-digit scoring for a Spirits' unit that closed 23-of-61 (37.7%) from the floor and 12-of-19 (63.2%) at the free throw line.
Sampson was singlehandedly responsible for eight of Salem's free throws, attempting 11 in the contest. Meanwhile, Echendu and Savanah Atkins grabbed a team-best six rebounds, including five on the offensive glass apiece.
Meredith was led offensively by Kate Perko, who scored 32 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, including 16 on the defensive glass. Piper Carriere tallied 10 points for the Avenging Angels, who moved to the .500 mark (5-5) in USA South action.
FOUR-GAME HOMESTAND BEGINS FOR SALEM
After completing one of the most difficult road stretches of the 2022-23 campaign, Salem will begin its longest home stretch of the season on Saturday afternoon when the Spirits play host to Pfeiffer at 2 p.m.
On Wednesday evening, against Meredith, Salem put the finishing touches on a five-game, 11-day stretch that included USA South clashes with Greensboro, Southern Virginia, Methodist, N.C. Wesleyan and the Avenging Angels.
Only one of the last five games, which came against Southern Virginia on January 10th, have took place at Varsity Gym.
Now the Spirits open their longest home stretch of the slate versus Pfeiffer on Saturday. That will be followed by clashes with Mary Baldwin (Jan. 25), Greensboro (Jan. 28) and finally William Peace (Jan. 31).
ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN VERSUS PFEIFFER
Saturday's contest marks the eighth all-time meeting between Salem and Pfeiffer with the Falcons owning a 7-0 advantage in the head-to-head series.
Three of those meetings have come at Varsity Gym, since the two first collided on January 31, 2018.
While the Falcons have won all three meetings, the slimmest margin at Varsity Gym came on December 6, 2019, when Pfeiffer prevailed by a 72-67 decision.
SPIRITS STATISTICAL LEADERS
With a 16-point performance against USA South Conference foe Meredith on Wednesday evening, Dionne Sampson became the first Spirit to crack the 100-point mark in league play in the 2022-23 campaign. Sampson leads all Salem scorers against league foes with 116 points, hitting 39-of-139 from the floor and 32-of-53 (60.4%) at the free throw line.
Sampson has played in all 16 games for Salem this season, eclipsing the double-digit point plateau in 14 of those games, including a stretch of seven straight from November 22nd through January 4th. After that streak was broken, following a nine-point game against Greensboro (Jan. 7), Sampson started a new double-digit scoring stretch that includes the last four outings for Salem.
Tamsi Echendu has also made her presence felt against league foes, scoring 93 points, due in large part to hitting 31-of-56 (55.4%) at the free throw line. She has also grabbed the most rebounds (64) of any Spirit in league action, including 27 on the offensive glass.
Cree Bass has proven to be Salem's most lethal outside shooter in the first nine USA South Conference games, delivering 10-of-33 (30.3%) from beyond the arc.
Sampson has anchored the defensive efforts with 24 steals, 10 more than Bass who has the second-most, while Alize Munn has a team-high five blocks versus league opposition.
ANALYZING THE FALCONS
Pfeiffer enters the weekend with a 3-12 overall mark and a 1-5 record in USA South Conference action with just one of those wins coming on the road in the 2022-23 season.
The Falcons snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday, January 14th with a 72-68 victory in Misenheimer, N.C., against Mary Baldwin. Earlier this week, in a trip to Brevard, Pfeiffer suffered a 72-62 setback.
Tanaesha Ellison leads all Pfeiffer scorers with 211 points (15.1 ppg) on the season, hitting 84-of-234 (35.9%) from the field and 11-of-51 (21.6%) from 3-point range. She is one of four Pfeiffer players with 100 points on the slate, including Alexis Bynum (172), Miya Horton (121) and Hannah Isley (113).
Horton is responsible for the most free throws on the team, hitting 43-of-72 (59.7%), while the top 3-point marksman is Kenadie Hudler, who has been successful on 27-of-99 (27.3) 3-pointers.
Ellison is also the top rebounder for the Pfeiffer squad with 83 to her credit, 65 of which have come on the defensive glass, along with being the leader in steals (48) and ranking third in blocks (12). The top shot blocker is Isley with 17.
