Salem Basketball hosted Southern Virginia today in their first matchup of 2026, falling to the reigning Conference Champions 86-42.
SVU started out strong, knocking down an early three followed by six more unanswered points. The Spirits found themselves on the board after back-to-back buckets from Lauren Ringwood brought it to a two-score game. The Knights answered with their second three of the contest, followed soon after by a strong take from Amy Pedroza that resulted in an and-one. Cristina Battistini brought it within three, scoring her first bucket of the matchup less than a minute later. SVU nailed another bucket from outside the arc, but was answered by Pedroza. The Spirits finished off the most competitive quarter of the contest with some strong defense, only down 17-11.
The Knights turned up the heat in quarter two, going on a 19-point run in the first six minutes of play. A layup from Nicole Hester finally broke the streak, spurring the Spirits on to a solid defensive stand in the last four minutes of the first half. Before the clock hit zero, Hester put two more points on the board after snagging her own rebound and a steal from Tyla Whitehead created a scoring opportunity for Pedroza. In the final few minutes, Salem held the Knights to only three more points. Ultimately, the Knights went into halftime up 39-17.
SVU kept their momentum going into the second half, scoring 10 early points. Pedroza kept the Knights from getting too hot, finding a bucket in the paint amidst their strong offense. The next three minutes brought strong defense from both sides, with neither team scoring in this span. This solid stretch brought steals from both Whitehead and Ringwood. The drought was broken by a quick three buckets, with a layup from Hester sandwiched between two Knight threes. SVU scored another pair of threes before the conclusion of the quarter, but not before a layup from Battistini and a jumper and three from Pedroza.
Salem opened the scoring in quarter four, with Catherine Jordan Cano knocking down a three of her own. The Knights, however, had a strong answer, scoring 13 unanswered. Pedroza secured two more points in the paint to pause their momentum, but SVU kept their foot on the gas. The Spirits found some solid offense in the last three and a half minutes, with Pedroza, Hester, and Jordan Cano all put points on the board to finish the contest on a high note. Ultimately the reigning Conference Champions took home an 86-42 win.
Tonight's stat leaders were Amy Pedroza with 19 points and 7 rebounds, Anayah Noell with three steals and two assists, along with Cristina Battistini who also snagged two assists.
The Spirits will next be in action on Tuesday January 6th where they host William Peace.
