SALISBURY, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (14-6, 9-1 CIAA) took a hard-fought 82-68 win over the Livingstone Blue Bears (7-14, 2-7 CIAA), Saturday evening. After taking their first conference loss of the season earlier in the week, the Lady Rams bounced back with a win over the nearby Blue Bears. Though the win was a needed one, it did not come easily as the Lady Rams had to fend off an aggressive and talented Livingstone team.

It was the tough defense of the Lady Rams that keyed the win as the team forced 21 Livingstone turnovers and held the Blue Bears to shooting 42.4%% from their home floor. The Lady Rams struggled early, but finished the evening shooting 45% from the floor in the game. It was the WSSU tandem of senior guard Courtney Medley and junior guard Jasmine Newkirk that led the way for the Lady Rams. Medley scored a team-high 21 points in the game while Newkirk added 20 points. Junior forward LaQuanda Williams led the WSSU rebounding effort with seven rebounds in the game.

The Lady Rams got off to a slow start against an aggressive Livingstone team. After opening the game on a down note, falling into an early 12-6 deficit with just over 14 minutes left in the half, the Lady Rams were able to tie the game at 12-12 with 12:33 left after three unanswered scores. The battle continued later on in the half with Livingstone going ahead by as many as seven points, 24-17. However, the Lady Rams would not give in as junior guard Jasmine Newkirk scored six straight points for the Lady Rams, capped by hitting a three-pointer with nine seconds left that gave the Lady Rams a 37-34 lead at the half.

The second half turned out to be a battle as well with neither giving in. The Lady Rams were able to take advantage of some early Livingstone turnovers and pushed their lead to six points, 46-40 with 16:24 left to play. Once in control of the game, the Lady Rams would turn up their defensive efforts to take a 59-48 lead with 12:23 left to play. It was a jumper by freshman forward Dionna Scott that gave the Lady Rams their largest lead at that point. Down the stretch, the Lady Rams continued to pour it on, pushing their lead to as many as 18 points, and wore down the Blue Bears to take the 82-68 victory.  

After playing four straight road games, the Lady Rams will finally return home when the team takes on the Saint Augustine's Lady Falcons, 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.