SPIRITS BEGIN FOUR-GAME ROAD STRETCH
After hosting the last two games of the 2023 calendar year at Varsity Gym on December 2nd, the Salem basketball team began a four-game road stretch at Johnson & Wales on December 5th. The second game of the road swing is on Friday evening, when Salem heads to Ferrum, Va., to take on the former USA South Conference rival Panthers at 7 p.m.
FOUR-GAME ROAD TRIP OPENS WITH SETBACK TO JOHNSON & WALES
Johnson & Wales bookended a pair of 20-point quarters and staved off a pair of double-digit point performances by Dionne Sampson (18) and Alize Munn (16) to earn a 69-59 victory over Salem in Charlotte, N.C., on the evening of Tuesday, December 5th.
Sampson led all scorers with 18 points, hitting 7-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line, while grabbing six rebounds and forcing four steals. Munn came off the bench for Salem, finishing with 16 points after hitting 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 free throws. Munn equaled Sampson in rebounds with six, as did Ti'Erra Lee, and contributed two blocked shots.
The Spirits best shooting performance came from the free throw line, where they hit 15-of-18 (83.3%), but the offense was limited to 21-of-58 (36.2%) due in large part to 34 turnovers.
Johnson & Wales had three players reach double figure scoring, including Aimee Evans (13), Jordan Durant (12) and Jayla Lovett (10).
SECOND LEG OF FOUR-GAME ROAD SWING FOR SPIRITS
Salem returns to action after exams on December 15th. That game will pit the Spirits against former USA South Conference foe Ferrum at 7 p.m. The month closes with a trip to Montreat, where Salem will play at 2 p.m. on December 30th. The final game of the road stretch is at N.C. Wesleyan on January 3rd at 2 p.m. for Salem.
SAMPSON, SPIRITS MAKING THEIR MARKS EARLY IN 2023-24
Through the first seven games of the season the Spirits have had two double-double performances, both from senior Alize Munn, along with Dionne Sampson moving her career totals to over 700 points.
Munn became the first player in the 2023-24 campaign to notch a double-double, which came as part of a 17-point, 14-rebound performance against Trinity (D.C.). She followed that by having 27 points and 10 rebounds in the clash with Agnes Scott.
Sampson, who entered the season with 675 points to her credit, has scored 119 points in the first seven contests of the season. With 794 points in her career, including six double-digit performances in 2023-24, Sampson needs just 206 points to reach 1,000 in her career. She would become the fourth different Spirit to reach that milestone. The others include Sabrina Shepherd (1,493), Quntashea Lewis (1,208) and MiKayla Seivers (1,126).
SAMPSON, MUNN PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR SALEM OFFENSE
The tandem of Dionne Sampson and Alize Munn lead the way for a Salem offense that has amassed 460 points (65.7 ppg) through the course of the first seven games of the season.
Munn leads the way in field goals made (44), four more than Sampson on the season, but it is Sampson that tops the duo in 3-point field goals (three). Sampson is also the team leader in free throws made (36) and best overall free throw percentage (76.6%) through the first seven games.
Teammate Cree Bass has provided a spark off the bench with 10 3-point field goals, a team high, while first years Nykerah Engle and Aliyah Corpening have converted 18 and nine free throws, respectively, to give head coach Sharee' Boyd five players with at least 40 points.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Through the first seven games of the 2023-24 campaign only one team, Bob Jones, has topped the 70-point plateau on Salem. The Spirits have allowed the opposition to average just 63.8 points per contest this season.
One of the primary improvements defensively has been the ability to rebound the ball, which has resulted in a 285-276 (+9) advantage on the glass. Alize Munn leads all Spirits with 49 rebounds, 13 more than teammate Ti'Erra Lee and 19 more caroms than both Cristina Battistini and Lily Gorum, who have 30 boards apiece.
Munn has snapped down a team-best 28 defensive boards, while Lee is third with 19. Aliyah Corpening has the second-most defensive rebounds with 21. Gorum is fourth on the unit with 18 defensive rebounds, while Battistini has 15 to her credit, rounding out the Top-5.
Another key to Salem's defensive successes in 2023-24 has come in the form of steals. Through seven games, the Spirits have forced 100 steals, giving them a 32-steal advantage over the opposition. In the last five seasons, Salem has twice finished with at least 225 steals, which came in 2017-18 (248) and 2021-22 (243). The program record for most swipes in a season belongs to the 2012-13 unit, which tallied 408 in 28 contests.
SAMPSON NOTCHES FIFTH 20-POINT OUTING
Salem's Dionne Sampson scored at least 20 points for the fifth time in her career in the clash with Brevard on Saturday, December 2nd.
The five games that Sampson has reached the 20-point plateau have all come against USA South Conference opposition.
Her first came in a 30-point outing at William Peace on February 2, 2022, where she established her single-game career-high. Slightly less than one year later, on January 25, 2023, Sampson poured in 22 points against Mary Baldwin.
Her 22-point outing against the Fighting Squirrels was the first of three 20-point games for Sampson in the 2022-23 season. It was followed by a 24-point contest against Meredith on February 11, 2023. Ten days later, in the first round of the USA South Conference Tournament, Sampson notched the fourth 20-point outing of her career against Greensboro.
SALEM ALL-TIME HISTORY WITH FERRUM
Friday night marks the fifth all-time contest between Salem and Ferrum and first since December 30, 2022. The Panthers hold a 4-0 advantage in the head-to-head series, winning two games at Varsity Gym and two games at home.
LAST OUTING (Dec. 30, 2022): Ferrum capitalized on a pair of double-digit performances from Trina Lewis (21 points) and Aisha Martin (13), along with 10 rebounds from Lewis, to emerge with a 66-47 victory in Salem's non-conference finale on Friday, December 30th.
The backcourt tandem of Alize Brooks and Dionne Sampson tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively, to lead the way offensively for Salem, while teammate Minnie Griffin poured in 10 points off the bench to complete the double-digit performances. Savanah Atkins anchored the middle with 10 rebounds (five offensive), leading the way for a unit that tallied 37 rebounds.
Salem struggled to find its offensive rhythm, hitting just 14-of-64 (21.9%) from the floor, but did knock down 16-of-27 from the free throw line in the contest.
BREAKING DOWN THE PANTHERS
Ferrum comes into the game with a 5-5 mark, winning two games at Swartz Gymnasium in 2023-24. The first of those home wins, 64-53, came over Regent on November 19th. The Panthers added their second home win of the slate 10 days later against Averett, who they downed 61-57.
Since the victory over Averett, Ferrum has dropped home contests to both Lynchburg (66-53) and Methodist (55-49) in December.
Ferrum is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, which dates back to a 62-35 setback to Bridgewater on December 2nd. Since that point, the Panthers have suffered setbacks to Lynchburg (66-53), Methodist (55-49) and Maryville (59-49) in succession.
Kayla Caviness tops all individual scorers for Ferrum on the season with 182, hitting 52-of-139 (37.4%) from the floor, while hitting 24-of-85 (28.2%) from 3-point range. She has also converted 54-of-61 (88.5%) of her free throw attempts on the slate. She is the only Ferrum scorer with at least 100 points.
Allyson Cassell has anchored the paint for the Panthers with 94 rebounds, grabbing 74 on the defensive glass. Teammate Trina Lewis has 50 rebounds, including 31 on defense, to her credit. Lewis has also been active defensively with a team-high 22 steals along with two blocks.