HUNTINGTON, WV – The Tigers made the trip out to Huntington tonight to face off in an exhibition against the Thundering Herd of Marshall. Tonight’s match will not impact either team’s regular season records and was a great opportunity for both teams to improve mid-season.
The Tigers hung with the Herd in the first quarter after getting down 8-0 early. From that point on Salem stayed with the Herd, tying them 12-12 in the final six minutes of the quarter to end the first down 20-12. It was a healthy mix of offense for Salem with five players scoring in the quarter.
In the second quarter of action, the Herd turned up the pace. Salem struggled against the size Marshall had to offer and offense was difficult to come by. The Tigers were outscored 35-13 in the quarter which led to a 55-25 deficit going into the half. Carine Pinkney and Teodora Popovic were able to have some success on offense as they chipped in five and four points respectively.
After a big end to the first quarter, Marshall didn’t let up. They continued to push the pace and make shots at a high percentage while holding the Tigers down on the defensive end. Emerson Wells came up with two shots from long-range for the Tigers in the third to put six on the board for them. Going into the fourth the Tigers found themselves down 86-40.
The fourth continued on as the second and third had before it with Marshall continuing to impose their will on the Tigers. Salem looked to their bench for answers in the closing minutes of the exhibition and they answered down the stretch. While the lead was insurmountable the Tigers were able to close the gap some down the stretch. In the end, the Tigers lost 115-56.
Salem will be back in action on Thursday, December 14th when they travel to Slippery Rock University for their 5:30 PM game.