MANSFIELD – Kira Merritt, McKenzie Hatch, and Ellie Thompson each reached double digits as the Mansfield women's basketball team hosted Salem University for their home opener on Wednesday evening. The Tigers came away with a 90-71 victory at Decker Gymnasium.
 
Salem came out of the gates on fire from long-range, hitting six of their first 12 three's on the night (50%), which helped them jump out to a 26-8 lead. The Tigers were led by Endia Jones who scored 15 of her 24 points in the first half of play. Jones pulled down 13 rebounds and came away with three steals in an impressive performance. Joining Jones at the 20-point mark was Precious Price who also added four rebounds and three assists. Daniela Villalobos and Aaliya Holmes both reached double digits in scoring as well, combining for 23 points, 15 of which came in the first half.
 
Despite the deep, early deficit, Mansfield battled back, going on a 24-17 run to outscore Salem in the second quarter and close out the first half with solid momentum. This was sparked by Hatch, Merritt, and Thompson. Hatch hit a three to make it 31-16, but was injured on the play.
 
Merritt scored 12 points in the first half, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and connecting on all three of her free throws. She hit a three with contact and then converted on the and-1 for a four-point play, bringing the score to 39-27.
 
It seemed as if Hatch's return to the game was in question after she had to be subbed out early in the second quarter, however the senior point guard returned before the half closed and made a key pass to Erin Gibbons, who connected on a 3-pointer to make it a 44-38 game.  Collectively, the Mounties hit 50% of their threes in the half. Merritt then sunk a free throw just before the intermission to leave it at 48-40 through the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Both teams added 18 points in the third quarter, with Salem's Price leading all players with 11 second half points. She was clutch at the line too, hitting all four of her free throws, and combined with Jones for 20 points in the second half.
 
Mansfield's second half scoring came from an even distribution across the boards. Paige Whitfield, Noelle Cameron, and Gibbons each scored five points in the final 20 minutes. Thompson added another seven to give her 14 on the day, and Hatch dropped four more.
 
It was a combination of Salem's full-court pressure and their presence on the boards that proved to be the deciding factor, causing much turmoil in the Mansfield offensive scheme. As a result of the press, the Mounties turned the ball over eight more times than the Tigers did, which led to a 12-point difference directly from turnovers. On the boards, Salem outscored Mansfield in second chance points by 10, and scored 42 points in the paint versus the Mounties' 20.
 
Thompson was able to finish a layup in an acrobatic fashion in traffic to start the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to just six. Whitfield and Hatch both hit huge 3-pointers, keeping the Mounties in it with 4:30 to go. However, the Tigers went on a 12-0 run in those final minutes to escape the threat. Salem shot 37.8 percent from the field for the game, while Mansfield shot 32.8 percent.

Noelle Cameron brought down 11 rebounds for the Mounties as she and Gibbons both tallied eight points on the day, while Hatch added nine rebounds and two assists to her seven points. Salem's Endia Jones led all players with 24 points and 13 boards.
 
With the loss, Mansfield falls to 0-2 on the season, and Salem improves to 1-7.  The Mounties return to action on Saturday, facing off against the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for a 1 p.m. home game at Decker Gymnasium.