WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (16-8, 11-3 CIAA) gave it their all, but the team could not get past a tough Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls (18-5, 12-2 CIAA) team in at 78-63 home loss, Saturday evening. The loss put a damper on the Lady Rams' bid for the 2011-12 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division championship, but it did not come from a lack of effort by the squad.

The loss came in spite of a solid effort on both ends of the court by the Lady Rams. The team was able to pull in 52 rebounds in the loss, 12 more than their foes. However, the Lady Rams managed just 10 assists in the game. Foul troubles also plagued the Lady Rams for much of the game as the team totaled 24 fouls in the loss. Winston-Salem State senior guard Courtney Medley led the WSSU effort with 27 points and eight rebounds while junior guard Jasmine Newkirk added 12 points. Sophomore forward Alisha Hardley added 10 rebounds.

Things looked good early for the Lady Rams as the team held the Lady Golden Bulls within reach after a jumper by WSSU junior forward Monique Williams gave the team an 8-7 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the first half. However, it was then that things got tough as the team went into a scoring drought that lasted for nearly five minutes while Johnson C. Smith took a 21-8 lead. A Medley lay-up midway through the half would snap the drought. Things would continue to get tough for the Lady Rams as JCSU pushed its lead to 16 points down the stretch of the half. However, the Lady Rams would put up a fight in the final six minutes of the half and took a 33-19 deficit into the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, the Lady Rams would make and early run, cutting their deficit to seven points as a lay-up by junior forward LaQuanda Williams left WSSU trailing 33-26 with just under 18 minutes left to play. However, the effort was as close as the Lady Rams would get as the team fell behind by as many as 20 points, and ended the evening with the 78-63 loss.

With the loss, the Lady Rams fall to 18-5 overall and 5-3 in the CIAA Southern Division. The loss places the Lady Rams third in the division. The team will need to soon put this loss behind them and move on as they head to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the division leading Shaw Lady Bears, Monday evening. For more information on Lady Rams basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.