Mary Baldwin overcame a 12-point, first-quarter deficit Saturday afternoon and pulled away in the final quarter for a 68-54 victory over Salem College in USA South Athletic Conference women's basketball action.

The win was the first in conference play for the Squirrels, now 1-2 in the USA South. The victory also snapped a three-game losing streak as MBU improved to 5-3 overall.

The visitors were red-hot from the floor in the first quarter, making 11-of-17 shots, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, to take a 26-14 lead. Salem went 0-for-9 from 3-point range during the final three quarters.

Salem's shooting cooled in the second quarter, but the Spirits still led by eight points, 37-29 at the half.

Mary Baldwin started chipping away at the deficit in the third quarter and the Squirrels used a 9-0 spurt to pull even with 4:38 on the clock. Mary Moran made two foul shots to start the comeback and Jalen Gathers scored the next six points to pull MBU to within one, 40-39. Moran then hit the second of two free throw attempts to tie the ssore at 40-40. Salem regained the lead and was on top 44-43 when Mya Coleman made 1-of-2 at the foul line, knotting the score at 44-44 entering the final quarter.

The Squirrels opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 spurt and led the rest of the game. Demet Saygili made two free throws to start the run and Gathers and Hannah Varner followed with buckets to push the lead to six. Gathers added 1-of-2 at the foul line, making the score 51-44 with 7:58 remaining in the contest.

The margin was still seven points, 57-50 , when the Squirrels ran off nine straight points to put the game away. Mekayla Clarke's layup ignited the run and a free throw by Saygili gave MBU a 10-point, 60-50 advantage. Gathers added two buckets and Saygili scored on a driving laup, giving the Squirrels a commanding 66-50 cushion.

Gathers posted a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Squirrels. Gathers was one of three players to finish with double-digit rebounds as MBU owned the boards by a 53-40 margin. Moran and A'Cetta Farrait each pulled down 10 rebounds for MBU. Saygili scored 12 points and Clarke came off the bench to tally 11. Varner added nine points. Saygili filled up the stat sheet as she also contributed eight steals, seven assists and five rebounds.

Mary Baldwin takes the week off before making the trip to Greensboro College next Saturday for a conference game.