Next Game: Salem at Pfeiffer | February 3 | Merner Gym | Misenheimer, N.C. | 7:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT (vs. Greensboro)
Greensboro earned a wire-to-wire USA South Conference victory, highlighted by a 26-point outburst by Audrey Jennings, to stretch its winning streak to 15 games and kept its perfect record in league action intact with a 99-67 victory over Salem at Varsity Gym on Saturday, January 28th.
Salem's Alize Munn put together her third consecutive double-digit point outing, finishing with 21 points by virtue of an 8-of-17 outing from the floor and a 5-of-9 performance at the free throw line. Munn also led the Spirits in rebounds with nine, which equals her single-game season-high.
Minnie Griffin also topped the double-digit mark with 14 points, hitting 4-of-14 from the field and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe, eclipsing double figures for the fifth time in 2022-23 and the third time in as many games. Dionne Sampson rounded out double-digit scorers with 12 on the afternoon, forcing one steal along the way.
The Greensboro offense, which hit 52.1 percent from the floor in the contest (38-of-73), was lethal from the perimeter with a 10-of-26 (38.5%) outing from 3-point range. The Pride also converted 13-of-16 (81.3%) at the free throw line as a unit.
Jennings was one of five players in double figures for Greensboro, along with Karli Mason (17), Quadijah Moore (13), Aijah Palmore (13) and Lauren Livingston (12). Palmore notched a double-double in the contest with a game-high 13 rebounds.
TWO-GAME ROAD STRETCH AWAITS SPIRITS
Salem will begin a two-game road stretch on Friday, February 3rd, when the Spirits tangle with USA South Conference foe Pfeiffer at 7 p.m.
Salem, which wrapped up what proved to be a three-game homestand against Greensboro on Saturday, January 28th, picked up the first league win of the season over Mary Baldwin (70-53) during that span. The Spirits, which were scheduled to face William Peace on Tuesday evening, were able to get extra rest after the Pacers cancelled the remainder of the season.
February begins with a clash against Pfeiffer on Friday and continues with a road contest at Mary Baldwin on Wednesday, February 8th. After a second cancellation against William Peace on February 11th, Salem completes the 2022-23 regular season against both Meredith (Feb. 14) and Brevard (Feb. 18).
ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN VERSUS PFEIFFER
Friday's game with Pfeiffer will be the ninth all-time in program history between the two.
The Falcons have a 8-0 edge in the head-to-head series after claiming a 69-56 win in Winston-Salem on January 21st.
In that meeting, Salem trimmed a double-digit Pfeiffer lead inside the final 2:19 of action, slicing the margin to 62-56, before four straight free throws from Alexis Bynum pushed the final margin to 69-56 in a hard-fought game between the two USA South Conference foes.
The Spirits were sparked by a 3-pointer from Cree Bass, which cut the margin to 62-54, along with a driving layup by Minnie Griffin that cut the deficit to six. Tanaesha Ellison added an old-fashioned three-point play, following a layup and a made free throw, before the four Bynum free throws down the stretch to complete the Falcons' victory.
Alize Munn came off the bench to finish with a team-high 18, converting 7-of-8 from the floor along with 4-of-7 at the free throw line. Munn was also active on the glass with nine rebounds, including five offensive. Griffin was also a spark offensively with 11 points, finishing 5-of-14 from the floor, while grabbing four rebounds and making a team-high three blocks. Teammate Dionne Sampson recorded 10 points, knocking down 4-of-6 at the charity stripe along with a pair of 3-pointers.
Tamsi Echendu made her presence felt with 10 rebounds, six on the defensive glass, to go along with eight points. Collectively, Salem finished 20-of-59 (33.9%) from the floor and 13-of-24 (54.2%) at the free throw line. The Spirits closed with 46 rebounds, highlighted by the trio of Echendu, Munn and Savanah Atkins, who hauled in five boards.
SAMPSON'S SIGHTS SET ON TAMARA BLANTON'S MARK
With a 12-point scoring effort against Greensboro, Salem's Dionne Sampson took sole possession of eighth-place in scoring in Spirits' history with 608 career points. Sampson surpassed Zy Henderson and Jasmine Shabazz, who tallied 606 career points, to move into eighth-place by herself.
The next mark that Sampson will look to surpass in scoring is Tamara Blanton, who amassed 627 points between 2015 and 2019 for Salem. Blanton is in seventh and with 627 points, which she amassed from 2015-19. Above Blanton, the list jumps to Satavia Taylor, who accrued 823 points during her stint at Salem from 2012-14.
SPIRITS STATISTICAL LEADERS
Dionne Sampson leads all Salem scorers on the slate with 239 points (12.6 ppg), scoring 159 of those points against USA South Conference opponents. Sampson, who has played and started all 12 league games for Salem, is 55-of-179 (30.7%) from the floor and 41-of-67 (61.2%) at the free throw line versus league opposition.
Alize Munn is on the verge of the first 200-point season in her collegiate career with 184 points for Salem in 2022-23. Munn, who capped off her first season at Salem with 144 points, has converted 77-of-157 (49%) attempts from the floor and another 30-of-50 free throws this season. Along with making her impact on the scoring front, Munn has climbed the glass for 97 rebounds (38 offensive) and made a team-high 18 blocks.
Tamsi Echendu leads the way for the Spirits in total rebounds with 119, pulling down 54 on the offensive glass, while ranking third in scoring with 167 points. Teammate Cree Bass has proved to be the top perimeter shooter for Salem, knocking down 21-of-74 (28.4%) from beyond the arc.
ANALYZING PFEIFFER IN 2022-23
The Falcons have claimed two wins in a 10-day stretch, defeating both Salem (69-56) and Brevard (59-49), moving to 5-13 on the slate and 3-9 in USA South Conference action.
Pfeiffer is 2-5 at home on the season and has three home contests in the month of February.
Tanaesha Ellison leads all Pfeiffer scorers with 271 points, while Alexis Bynum is second on the unit with 224. Ellison has knocked down a team-high 105 shots, including 12 from 3-point range, while adding 49 points at the charity stripe. Her 49 free throw conversions place her in a tie with Miya Horton, who is 49-of-83 (59%) on the slate.
Bynum has knocked down 79-of-221 (35.7%) from the floor and is one of three Falcon shooters with at least 20 3-pointers on the slate. While Kenadie Hudler leads the way with 31 3-point conversions, both Bynum and Hannah Isley are tied for second with 20.
Ellison is not only the top scorer on the Pfeiffer unit, she also holds the distinction of being the team's leading rebounder with 117. She has snapped down 89 defensive rebounds and forced a team-high 56 steals along the way.
Bynum leads the way with 48 assists, five more than Ellison, while Shania Haynes rounds out the defensive leaders with 19 blocked shots.