Dec. 11, 2010

Box Score

INSTITUTE, WV - The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (4-3) fell short in a 75-65 road loss to the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets (3-7) Saturday afternoon. The game was a hard fought affair on both sides of the court in a contest that stayed close for all 40 minutes. The two teams combined for 11 ties and 14 lead changes, but the Lady Rams' effort was not enough in the tough loss. The Lady Rams finish the season series against the Yellow Jackets tied, with both teams winning on their home court.

The Lady Rams shot a decent 35% (26-of-74) from the floor, but second half shooting woes along with 12 turnovers proved costly in the loss. The Lady Rams had a strong rebounding effort, grabbing a season high 59 rebounds to only 37 for the Yellow Jackets. The Lady Rams' bench gave a solid performance scoring 38 points in the game. Sophomore guard Jasmine Newkirk led the Lady Rams with 17 points and six rebounds in the loss while sophomore forward Jazmine Wilson had a pair of career highs in the, scoring eight points and adding ten rebounds off the bench.

The first half was a see-saw battle with seven ties and nine lead changes between the Lady Rams and Yellow Jackets. With the game tied with less than 12 minutes to go in the half, the Lady Rams began to get some distance from the Yellow Jackets by going on a 5-0 run and taking a 23-18 lead at the 7:42 mark. However, the Yellow Jackets fought back and were able to tie the game, 28-28 at the 3:54 mark in the half. The WSSU defense was able to step up its efforts, forcing a few missed shots and some Yellowjacket turnovers. With the effort, the Lady Rams were able to pull ahead and take a 39-33 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Lady Rams were able to force eight Yellow Jacket turnovers and pulled out a 30-21 rebounding edge for the half.

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets jumped out on a 7-0 run and took a one point lead over the Lady Rams, but the Lady Rams were able to battle back led by strong post play from junior center Jordhan Peterson and eventually took a six-point lead with 12:29 left in the game. The Yellow Jackets once again cut into the Lady Rams lead, bringing it to a one point with fewer than ten minutes in the game. Down the stretch, the Yellow Jackets pulled away from the Lady Rams, 68-60, with 2:43 left in the ball game. The Lady Rams were able to battle and slightly cut into their deficit, but didn't have enough as the team ended the afternoon with the loss.

The Lady Rams won't have long to rest as they will return to action Thursday when the team travels to Milledgeville, Ga. to take on the Georgia College & State Bobcats. For more information on Lady Rams' basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log onto WSSUrams.com.