By KERRY PATRICK
Parkersburg News & Sentinel 

VIENNA — The Ohio Valley University men’s basketball program plucked a thorn out of its side by dismantling Salem International 91-57 in its home opener Thursday night at the Snyder Activity Center.

Not only did the Fighting Scots defeat the Tigers for the first in nine tries during Bill McGee’s tenure as head coach, but they also snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season.

After losing twice last week in Connecticut at the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, OVU improved to 1-2 and 1-0 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“This was a good night for us because we needed to feel good coming back from Connecticut and have that confidence,” McGee said. “Normally, Salem International kicks us. We needed to be aggressive and the kids were. The kids have a heart to play hard and I was impressed by that.”

OVU senior Omar Campbell scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in a first half which saw the Fighting Scots double-up on the Tigers 48-24.

“We talked about attacking Salem from the start offensively and defensively,” McGee said.

Providing a solid floor game was teammate Aleka Carr at point guard. The junior finished with eight points and six assists, and did not turn the ball over. He also drew two charges.

“Coach tells me to keep the intensity up and keep everybody moving,” Carr said. “I know charges get everybody going, including the crowd.”

In the post, Chris Leborious experienced early foul trouble and played just 10 minutes in the first half, but played with a vengeance in the second half. The senior punished Salem’s interior for 16 points and 10 rebounds.

“Salem is a different team, but it feels good coming in here and making a statement with a win,” Leborious said.

OVU set the tone early. After Salem scored the first bucket of the game, the Fighting Scots responded with a 23-5 run. During that seven-minute span, the Tigers managed just one field goal.

Salem cut the deficit to 23-10, but the OVU offense went into overdrive and outscored the Tigers 20-5 over the next 7:15.

Salem made just six field goals during the first half.

“Our defense was intense, and that’s something we’ve struggled with since I’ve been here,” McGee said.

Salem made a push in the opening stages of the second half. Aleksahdar Zmijanjac knocked down two 3-pointers as the Tigers sliced the deficit to 50-31.

After the two teams traded buckets, OVU went to work and provided a cushion as Leborious stepped outside along the perimeter and drained a trey three minutes into the second half. Another free throw from Campbell extended the margin to 56-33.

Several minutes later, OVU created a comfort zone on a pair of give-and-gos— first from Leborious to Stephen Camberis (14 points) and another from Hrvoje Muhek to Leborious. With 13 minutes remaining, OVU’s advantage was 65-37.

The Fighting Scots utilized its bench without much dropoff and outscored Salem’s reserves for the game 29-8.

The Tigers, who were led by Chris Carey’s 16 points, were playing without one its top players in Dino Wilburn. Wilburn scored 24 points in a win over OVU last season, but is out for the season with an ACL injury.

“The new coach at Salem (Andy Sorine), he now sees it — even the teams in the bottom of the conference are going to come out and be aggressive,” McGee said. “My guys did that. We haven’t always done that, so I was happy.”

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