Salem Basketball battled to the last minute with conference foe William Peace, ultimately falling 65-62.

Both teams started out strong in the paint, with 12 of the first 13 points being scored in the lane. Lauren Ringwood opened the scoring for the Spirits, sinking two early buckets on her way to being the night's leading scorer. Catherine Jordan Cano, Amy Pedroza, and Nicole Hester put up points of their own, helping Salem take a quick five-point lead. A well-timed three from the Pacers created the first of what would be 10 tie-scores throughout the matchup. A jumper from Cristina Battistini gave the Spirits a two-point lead with under three minutes left in the quarter. Peace turned up the intensity, scoring five unanswered points to go up by three. Right before the buzzer, Pedroza nailed a huge open three to make it a tie game going into the second frame. 

Quarter two's scoring opened with the Pacers, but was controlled by Salem for the next four minutes. The Spirits scored nine quick points, only interrupted by one Peace free throw, to go up six. Salem and the Pacers traded points for much of the remainder of the quarter, keeping it within a two score game. Pedroza scored six of her 17 points in this quarter, joined by points from Battistini, Ringwood, Hester, and Triana Smallwood. Ringwood also started to rack up the and-one opportunities, taking numerous confident drives to the tin. 

The third quarter started out well for Peace, tying it up despite another solid take from Hester. A three from Jordan Cano pushed the Spirits in front, helping Salem hold a small lead for the next two minutes. Another three from the Pacers created the first of four lead changes in the final three minutes of the frame. Strong showings at the charity stripe from Tyla Whitehead and Pedroza helped keep Salem right on Peace's heels. Ultimately, the Spirits held onto a one point lead going into the final frame of the contest, thanks to a smooth take from Battistini to close.

ThePacers came out swinging early in the final ten minutes of play, securing a quick three point lead. Layups from Hester and Ringwood turned the tides back in Salem's direction, spurring on what would be one of the strongest offensive stretches both teams had seen all game. The Spirits held on to a two possession lead until the final minute, where a well-timed three followed by two made free throws gave the Pacers a three-point advantage to finish out the contest 65-62.

The stat leaders from the matchup were Lauren Ringwood with 20 points and three steals, Tyla Whitehead with three assists, and Nicole Hester with 10 rebounds. Along with the strong performance on the boards, Hester also racked up 13 points, securing another double-double. 

The Spirits will next be in action on Saturday January 10th, where they travel to take on Methodist at 2pm.