Jan. 29, 2011

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (12-6, 7-2 CIAA) pulled out a tough 58-56 win Saturday evening, defeating the Lady Falcons of Saint Augustine's (11-7, 5-3 CIAA) in an important conference battle. The Lady Falcons gave the Lady Rams all they could handle but in the end, hustle and big shots led the Lady Rams to their fourth straight victory.

It was freshman guard Taylar Wells who led the Lady Rams to the win with a career-high 18 points and hitting the game-winning shot for the Lady Rams. "For a freshman to step up like that is great to see," WSSU women's basketball head coach Stephen Joyner, Jr. said after the win. "She made a smart play and the right play."

The Lady Rams gave a great overall effort in the game, shooting a solid 47% from the field. The Lady Rams were dominant in the paint, outscoring Saint Augustine's 36-16 with junior forward Jordhan Peterson leading all post players with scoring a career-high 12 points with three rebounds. The Lady Falcons, however, held the edge in rebounding with a 43-33 advantage over the Lady Rams. Junior guard Courtney Medley also had a solid performance falling one rebound shy of a double-double with ten points and nine rebounds.

The Lady Rams opened the game with a 7-0 run to take an early lead in the game. The Lady Falcons would answer with five straight points to cut the Lady Rams lead to four points, 9-5, with 14:45 left in the half. After forcing a few Lady Rams' turnovers, the Lady Falcons were able to bring their deficit to only two points (11-9) at the 11:43 mark. The two teams traded baskets for the next three minutes of the game bringing the score to 17-14 with 8:06 left in the half. The Lady Falcons hit a layup to make it a one point game (17-16) and hit a three pointer on their next possession to tie the game 19-19 with 6:58 to play in the first half. Medley would answer the Saint Augustine's challenge, scoring the next five points to bring the Lady Rams' lead to three points, 24-21, at the 5:03 mark. With the lead, the Lady Rams would hold onto their advantage for the remainder of the half and took a 31-27 lead into halftime.

The second half was just as exciting as the first half with the game coming down to the final seconds. The Lady Falcons got things going early hitting their first two shots of the second half to take their first lead of the game, 34-33, with 18:18 left to play. The WSSU deficit grew to five points, 40-35, at the 15:40 mark. Wells' back-to-back layups plus a free throw brought the game to a tie, 40-40, with 14:54 to play. The Lady Falcons would take the lead once again (45-42) by hitting a three pointer followed by a jumper with 11:47 left in the game. After falling behind by seven points, 44-51 with 9:20 left to play, the Lady Rams would make their stand and eventually brought the game to three points, 51-54, with 5:19 to play. A Peterson layup cut the WSSU deficit to one point, 53-54, with 2:53 left to play. The Lady Falcons answered to bring their lead back to three points, but a layup by senior guard Rene Rector would once again make it a one point game (55-56) with 1:17 to play. The Lady Rams forced back-to-back Lady Falcons' turnovers and were able to take advantage of their miscues with Wells driving to the basket making a huge layup to give the Lady Rams a one point lead, 57-56, with only 31 seconds left to play. The Lady Rams' played some clutch defense to force a tough shot and held the Lady Falcons scoreless in their effort to regain the lead. Late free throws and a steal by Rector would seal the deal for the Lady Rams and ended the night with the victory.

The Lady Rams will return to the floor Monday to host the Lady Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith. For more information on Lady Rams' basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log onto www.WSSURams.com.