FLORENCE, SC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (2-4) gave a strong effort, but the team could not get past the Francis Marion Patriots (2-4), Monday evening. The Lady Rams found points hard to come by in the loss, but the team mounted a solid second half effort that fell just short in the tough loss. 

As a team, the Lady Rams struggled against the Patriots' defense as the team shot just 31% (18-of-58) from the floor and committed 21 turnovers in the loss. WSSU senior forward Dionna Scott continued to lead the way for the Lady Rams with a team-high 15 points in the game. Freshman guard Tiana Edwards added 12 points off the bench. Fellow senior forward Jovanah Graham and sophomore forward Sha'Quira Palmer both pulled in eight rebounds each to lead the way for the Lady Rams.

Things looked good early for the Lady Rams when a Scott three-pointer put the team on top, 7-5 with 16:17 left in the first half. However, the WSSU lead disappeared when Francis Marion mounted a 15-4 run that left the Lady Rams trailing 11-20 midway through the half. After falling behind by as many at 10 points, 16-26, the Lady Rams began their comeback effort in the final minutes of the half, cutting their deficit down to five points, 28-33, following a jump shot from freshman forward Jasmine Carter with 1:45 left to play. However, the jumper was the final score for the Lady Rams during the half as the team took a 28-36 deficit into the locker room at the half.

The WSSU struggles continued in the second half as the Lady Rams fell behind by as many as 12 points, 30-42 with 17:48 left to play. The Lady Rams would answer the call with six unanswered points to cut their deficit in half, 36-42, following a pair of Scott free throws with 15:22 left to play. Though Francis Marion would answer, the Lady Rams kept their rally going as an Edwards three-pointer at the 12:49 mark pulled the Lady Rams within four points, 44-46. However, a WSSU drought would prove costly to the Lady Rams as the team fell behind once again, 45-61 with 7:09 left to play. In the final minutes of the game, the Lady Rams staged a furious comeback effort as the team went on a 9-0 run that included a pair of Edwards three-pointers that cut the WSSU deficit down to seven points, 58-65 with 2:14 left to play. However, the Lady Rams failed to hit another field goal for the remainder of the game. A Scott free throw with 00:05 left to play was the sole score for the Lady Rams for the remainder of the  game. Unfortunately, the drought ended the WSSU rally and sealed the 68-59 loss for the Lady Rams.

With the loss, the Lady Rams took their third straight loss. However, the team will return home for their next action as they will host the Benedict Tigers, Wednesday 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.