WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (4-5) picked up a key home win, Thursday evening when the team took an impressive 61-50 win over the Claflin Lady Panthers (6-1). The Lady Rams took the win behind an impressive overall performance as the team held the lead for the entire game.

The Lady Rams posted one of their best defensive performances of the season to take the win as the held the Lady Panthers to just 50 points and shooting just 31.0% from the floor. Offensively, the Lady Rams also had another strong performance from junior guard Kesheria McNeil, who led the team with 17 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds in the game. Freshman guard Tiana Edwards added 10 points while senior forward Jovanah Graham also added 10 points. Sophomore center Sha'Quira Palmer pulled in six rebounds as well and added a pair of blocked shots as well.

The Lady Rams took control of the game early and never looked back as the team held the lead from beginning to end. The team kicked things off with a bang as they held Claflin scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and took a 7-0 lead with 16:59 left in the first half. The Lady Panthers would answer, however, when a Claflin three-pointer at the 11:44 mark cut the WSSU lead down to just one point, 11-10. However, the Lady Rams answered the challenge with seven unanswered points to regain control of the game, 17-10. It was a McNeil three-pointer that capped the WSSU run. It was soon followed by a three-pointer from Edwards that kept the Lady Rams on top, 20-12 with 9:02 left in the half. The two teams continued to battle down the stretch of the half as a Claflin free throw cut the WSSU lead down to four points, 26-22 with 2:02 left, but another Edwards three-pointer with 1:51 left, capped the scoring in the half and left the Lady Rams with the 29-22 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Lady Rams kept their momentum going as they held off the feisty Lady Panthers to take home the win. The team kept its strong momentum going from the first half as they outscored the Lady Panthers 6-0 in the opening minutes of the half to take a 33-22 lead. From there, the Lady Rams held the Lady Panthers at bay and mounted a 10-0 run that gave WSSU its largest lead of the game, 50-34 with 6:02 left. The rest of the game would not be easy for the Lady Rams as Claflin mounted a second half rally that cut the WSSU lead down to six points, 56-50 with 1:14 left. However, the Lady Rams connected on five-of-six free throws while holding Claflin scoreless in the final minute of the game to seal the win.

The win marked the second straight win for the Lady Rams and gave the team back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Lady Rams won't have long to celebrate as the team will head to Glenville, West Virginia for their next action when they take on the Glenville State Pioneers, Saturday. 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.