CHARLOTTE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (18-9) opened the 2012 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in a big way with a dominating 79-57 win over the Lincoln (Pa.) Lady Lions (7-22), Tuesday evening. The Lady Rams took the win behind an inspired performance that saw the team clicking on all cylinders in the win.

"We turned the ball over a little more than I would like to, but still with that, we still scored 79 points which is somewhere along the lines of where we want to be," WSSU women's basketball head coach Stephen Joyner, Jr. said. "Right now, our mindset is on to Johnson C. Smith, who we will face tomorrow."

As a team, the Lady Rams shot an impressive 44.3% from the floor with senior guard Courtney Medley leading the way with 17 points in the game while junior guard Jasmine Newkirk added 15 points. Junior forward Monique Williams led the WSSU rebounding effort with a career-high 13 rebounds in the game. The Lady Rams also put on one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding the Lady Lions to shooting just 37.3% from the floor. The Lady Rams also forced 24 turnovers by the Lady Lions.  

The Lady Rams took control of the game early and never looked back. After Lincoln (Pa.) scored the first basket of the game, the Lady Rams dominated the remainder of the game, going ahead by as many as 19 points in the half. The team opened the game on a high note with a 15-5 run to open the contest. However, the Lady Lions would not go down easy as they cut the WSSU lead down to just six points 21-15 midway through the half. However, the Lady Rams answered the run with 13 straight points to go ahead 34-15 with 5:17 left in the half. Though the Lady Lions would make a late run, the Lady Rams would take a 38-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The second half saw much of the same as the Lady Rams continued to pour it on while the Lady Lions continued to fight. Though the Lady Rams remained in control of the contest for the entire half, the team could not push its lead past 15 points. The Lady Lions were able to chip into the WSSU lead, however, as the Lady Rams held on to a 64-51 lead with just over six minutes left to play. Down the stretch, the Lady Rams pushed their lead to 20 points, 75-55 with 2:15 left to play and cruised to the 79-57 victory.  

With the win, the Lady Rams advance to the second round of the tournament and will take on the second-seeded Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls tomorrow at 5 p.m. 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.