Box Score Salem, W. Va – On Saturday, Charleston faced the Salem University Tigers for an out-of-conference matchup as they get closer to the midway point of the year. The Golden Eagles came into this game with a four-game winning streak and had no intention of ending it anytime soon. 
 
The Basics
Location: T. Edward Davis Gymnasium
Score: UC 55, SU 53
Records: UC (9-2, 5-1 MEC), SU (4-9, 0-0 DII Independent) 
 
How it Happened
The first points of the game would come from Dakota Reeves as she sank a triple to take an early 3-0 lead. The Golden Eagles would stretch their lead to as much as eight points as Trinity Palacio would make her three-pointer to take a 17-9 lead with 3:52 remaining in the quarter. The Tigers would steal the last six points of the quarter with two trips to the line and a layup that would cut the deficit to two. 
 
Salem would use the next 10 minutes to take the lead with a seven-minute 14-5 run. Charleston struggled offensively as they only shot 25% (3-12) from the field and 16% (1-6) from beyond the arc, while the Tigers shot nearly 50% from the field and adding on a pair of deep three-pointers. At the end of the half, Salem trotted into the locker room with a 33-27 lead over the Golden Eagles. 
 
Charleston came out of the break needing to find a way to get points on the board. Palacio would get the scoring started after she stole the ball from the Tigers and gave a soft touch off the glass into the hoop with 8:36 remaining. Salem maintained their lead with Arambarri Fernandez's efforts on offense. Palacio would come up big for the Golden Eagles as she converted on an and-one layup and sank a three-pointer as time expired to tie the game at 41-41 going into the fourth quarter. 
 
Salem jumped to a quick lead with a pair of Anna Machykova free throws and held onto it for nearly half of the final period. After a Palacio layup took the lead with 4:24 left in the game, the lead would shift back and forth between the two sides, but it would come down to free throws. Markyia McCormick's pair tied the game up at 53-53 with two minutes remaining. Charleston played excellent defense on their own end, but were unable to find a play that gave them the lead. In the final seconds, Palacio would draw a hard foul on a layup with just five seconds left. With ice in her veins, she converted on both of them and gave the Golden Eagles the close victory on the road. 
 
Up Next
Charleston will have just one more game in the year of 2022. It will take place in Wise, VA as they travel once more to take on the University of Virginia College at Wise on December 31^st at 2:00 PM.