Jan. 4, 2011
Box Score
LAWRENCEVILLE, VA - The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (5-4) had a good start to the New Year when they defeated the Lady Tigers of Saint Paul's (1-6) 72-61, Tuesday evening. The Lady Rams gave a strong collective team effort, controlling the game from beginning to end. WSSU sophomore guard Jasmine Newkirk started the new with a great effort, leading the Lady Rams with 22 points and two rebounds in the win.
For the game, the Lady Rams shot an impressive 48% from the field and 45% from behind the arch , hitting nine three pointers in the game. The Lady Rams were able to get to the charity stripe 30 times and shot a strong 63%. The Lady Tigers had a slight edge in rebounds (38-34) over the Lady Rams. Freshman guard Taylar Wells also had a solid performance, scoring a career-high 14 points and adding a rebound and a steal. Junior guard Courtney Medley nearly pulled out a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds in the game.
The first half was a see-saw battle with both teams battling for all 20 minutes of the half. Nearly every run by one team was answered by the other in the dramatic period, but in the end, the Lady Rams were able to take control of the contest. After allowing a three-pointer to open the game, the Lady Rams answered in a hurry with a Newkirk three-pointer. The game was a hard-fought affair early on with four ties and four lead changes in the first seven minutes, but a 6-0 WSSU run put the Lady Rams on top 17-11 with 11:33 left in the half and took a 17-11 lead with 11:33 left in the half and the team took control of the game. The Lady Tigers made a strong effort at a comeback, cutting the WSSU lead down to two points, 17-15 at the 10:35 mark, but the Lady Rams answered with a 9-2 run that gave the team its largest lead of the half, 26-17 with 10:35 left to play. From there, it was the Lady Tigers' turn at a run as WSSU found themselves on the wrong end of a 9-0 run by the Lady Tigers that tied the game, 26-26 with 2:57 left in the half. But some clutch shooting efforts by the Lady Rams, including three-pointers by both Newkirk and Medley, pushed the team to the 35-31 first half lead.
In the second half, the Lady Rams stretched their lead to seven points (38-31) after a Wells three-pointer at the 19:03 mark. The home team continued to push, however, cutting the WSSU lead down to four points, 42-38 at the 16:18 mark, but the Lady Rams' withstood their push and answered with an 8-0 run, jumping out to a 50-38 lead with 14:00 left in the game. The Lady Rams took their largest lead of the game at the 6:20 mark when a jumper by WSSU sophomore forward Jazmine Wilson put the Lady Rams ahead, 62-45. Down the stretch the Lady Rams remained in control of the game and continued their hot second half shooting performance to pull out the 72-61 win. For the half, the Lady Rams shot a solid 60% from the field which made it hard for the Lady Tigers to draw any closer than seven points for the rest of the game.
The Lady Rams will stay on the road as they travel to Ettrick, Va. to take on the Lady Trojans of Virginia State Thursday evening. 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.
