>Opponents: 
Salem vs. Meredith | December 31 | Varsity Gym | 2 p.m. 
Salem at Sewanee | January 4 | Juhan Gymnasium | 1 p.m. 

>SPIRITS RETURN FROM HOLIDAY BREAK
The Salem basketball returns to action after a 14-day holiday break to host Meredith at 2 p.m. at Varsity Gym on Tuesday, December 31st. The Spirits then make a trek to Sewanee for a 1 p.m. clash with the Tigers on Saturday afternoon in a first-ever meeting between the two programs. 

>HESTER SHINES IN TOUGH OUTING FOR SPIRITS
Nicole Hester notched her second double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 10 assists, but it was a well-balanced attack by Methodist that resulted in an 83-31 USA South Conference win for the Monarchs. 

Hester notched her second double-double in the last three games for Salem, knocking down 11-of-14 along with a pair of field goals. Defensively, she grabbed 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Teammate Lily Gorum was also active on the glass with a team-best 11 rebounds, including eight defensively. 

Methodist, which played 19 players in the contest, was led in scoring by Korin Gladden, who closed with 10 points. Gladded knocked down 5-of-7 from the floor and hauled in three rebounds along the way. 

Kiley Hicks was also active for the Monarchs with eight points along with eight rebounds, including seven defensive boards. She highlighted a Methodist unit that was 35-of-79 from the floor, converting nine 3-pointers along the way. 

Methodist scored at least 20 points in three of the four quarters, including a 26-point outburst in the first quarter. That set the tone for the game, as the Monarchs jumped out to a 26-7 advantage. 

Methodist established a 47-13 lead at the intermission, before Salem tallied eight points in the third and limited the Monarchs to 14 to make for a 61-21 advantage. The Spirits reached double figures in the final frame, but it was a 22-point effort by Methodist that resulted in the 52-point difference.

>TWO DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR HESTER IN FIRST SIX GAMES 
Salem first-year Nicole Hester has posted two double-doubles in the first six contests of her collegiate career. 

Hester notched her first double-double (12 points / 12 rebounds) over 36 minutes of action against Pfeiffer (November 26). She knocked down 6-of-12 from the floor and pulled down seven of her 12 rebounds on the defensive glass. Hester also posted four blocks and dished out a pair of assists. 

The Burlington, N.C., native posted her second double-double of the season (15 points / 10 rebounds) in Salem's most recent contest, which came at Methodist. Hester reached double figures due to an 11-of-14 outing at the free throw line, while pulling down six rebounds on the offensive glass. Hester was the lone Spirit to reach double figures in the clash with Methodist. 

Hester has made her presence felt on the glass for Salem in a big way, grabbing a team-high 49 rebounds (29 defensive). She is averaging 8.2 rebounds per game. 

>PEDROZA TIED FOR SECOND IN SCORING FOR SALEM
Another bright spot for the future of the Salem basketball program is sophomore guard Amy Pedroza. 

Pedroza is tied with Nicole Hester for the second-most points (58) on the team, hitting 21-of-69 from the floor and 7-of-10 at the charity stripe.

Pedroza made her collegiate debut against Randolph on November 13th, coming through with five points, and since then has topped the double-digit mark on two occasions. Her first double-digit outing (17 points) came as she knocked down 7-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-4 at the free throw line against Agnes Scott (November 23). Along the way she added eight points and four steals. 

Pedroza established her current single-game season-high in points (18) in the home opener versus Johnson & Wales. In 34 minutes, Pedroza converted 6-of-14 from the field and was a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line. 

>BASS LEADS SALEM IN THREE MAJOR CATEGORIES
Fifth-year senior Cree Bass has provided a solid scoring presence for the Spirits with a team-high 68 points (9.7 ppg), along with leading the unit in assists (25) and steals (16) through the first seven games of the season. 

Bass has knocked down a team-best 25 field goals, including a team-high 10 3-pointers, to five her eight more points than teammates Nicole Hester and Amy Pedroza. Bass opened the season with four straight double-digit scoring performances, a career-first, including a single-game season-high 16 in a clash with Randolph (November 13). She finished off the game by hitting 7-of-13 from the floor and knocked down two 3-pointers along the way. 

Defensively, Bass has forced multiple steals in five contests, including a pair of four-steal outings against Montreat and Randolph to open the season. She has also gotten her teammates integrated in the offense with 25 assists, a team-high. 

Bass handed out a single-game season-high seven assists in the season opener with Montreat and was responsible for six dimes against Agnes Scott. She closed out the home opener with Johnson & Wales with five assists and five points. 

>SCOUTING REPORT: MEREDITH AVENGING ANGELS 
Meredith, which owns a 10-8 lead in the all-time series with Salem, enters Tuesday's contest with a 2-6 overall mark in 2024-25. The Avenging Angels have dropped both USA South Conference games this season and are 1-3 on the road this season. 

Meredith claimed its first win of the season at Virginia Wesleyan by a 66-59 margin and followed that with a 70-51 victory on November 30th against Warren Wilson. Since the win over the Owls, Meredith has dropped clashes with both Pfeiffer (63-47) and Centre College (60-58). 

The Avenging Angels, who last saw action on December 8th, are led in scoring by Pam Mock. Mock has amassed 104 points, hitting 41-of-89 (.461) from the floor along the way. She has grabbed 33 rebounds and forced a team-best 14 steals. 

Rylie Wade tops the unit in rebounds with 100, including 68 on the defensive end. Wade has reached double-digit rebounds on four occasions, including a 21-rebound outing against Pfeiffer on December 3rd. That capped off a stretch of three double-digit rebounding performances, which included 14 against Southern Virginia and 19 versus Warren Wilson. 

>SCOUTING REPORT: SEWANEE TIGERS
Sewanee enters the week with two games on the slate, which include clashes with both Huntingdon (December 30) and Salem (January 4). 

The Tigers are 5-6 on the season and own a 1-3 mark at home. 

Olivia Falvey leads the unit in points (185), while teammate Cydney Wright is second with 121 on the season. Falvey has knocked down 64-of-168 (38.1%) from the field, including 22 3-pointers along the way. She has also made her presence felt on the defensive end with 52 rebounds, including 38 on the defensive glass. 

Meanwhile, Wright has converted 41-of-89 (46.1%) from the field, along with 37-of-52 at the free throw line, to put her over the century mark. She leads all Tiger players in rebounds with 80, hauling in 45 defensive rebounds and 35 on the offensive glass. Wright has facilitated the offense with 32 assists, while making 24 steals on the defensive end. 

Brianna Keating-Rendon is also a significant offensive threat with 26 3-pointers, a team high, and is fourth in scoring with 80 points. Teammate Faith Humphrey leads the unit in both assists (49) and steals (30) through the first 11 games of the season.