CHARLESTON, West Virginia – With a tough contest against the host Golden Eagles on Friday night, Salem was looking to get back on track down in Charleston this afternoon as they took on the Glenville State Pioneers for the first of an eventual three contests between these two ball clubs on the slate for this season. It was an offensive showcase for both squads, but the Tigers emerged victorious with a final scoreline of 112-100.
For the first half, Salem leaned on their veterans early with Kapone Barley and Ian Hardy each with some early scoring for the Tigers. Once things got rolling, the offensive chances opened up for both squads, and Salem made the most of those chances behind strong play from Jack Garrison IV, Ashraf Tchadouwa, and Khemanni Davis. Salem pushed their advantage up to as much as 12, before landing on a 55-45 scoreline going into the halftime break that favored the Tigers.
In the second half, Salem kept the pace up, and kept finding more and more offensive chances. Salem worked the ball around as well with Nils Baumeisters and Brandon Francios finding key times to contribute some needed scoring punch. The Tigers’ advantage grew to as many as 22 before the Pioneers brought it back to single digits late in the period. However, it was Salem who found those key buckets late, and pulled away from the Wehrle Innovation Center in Charleston with the 112-100 win. This win was also the first of coach Vince Thibodeau’s head coaching career and his first at the helm in Salem.
On the score sheet, Salem was led by Jack Garrison IV, who added 25 points on 7 of 10 from 3 point range. Just behind him was Ashraf Tchadouwa, who added 24 points and 15 rebounds to earn his second double double in as many games for the Tigers this season. Brandon Francois and Ian Hard each added 15 points a piece, and newcomer Khemanni Davis added 14 points off the bench for Salem.
The Tigers will be looking to take this momentum into the first home contest of the season on Wednesday, November 15th at 2 PM when the Griffins of Seton Hill come to play the Tigers on Mike Carey Court at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.