Box Score WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (5-9, 1-3 CIAA) took a hard-fought 53-44 loss to the Chowan Hawks (8-7, 4-1 CIAA), Saturday afternoon. Though the Lady Rams gave a great effort in the second half, the team could not overcome some significant first half struggles to take the hard-fought loss.
For the game, the Lady Rams finished shooting just 24.2% from the floor, including shooting 16.7% from the floor (five-of-18) in the first half. As a team, the Lady Rams connected on just 16-of-66 shots in the loss and shot five-of-18 from the three-point line. The Lady Rams struggled mightily with just 16 first half points and shooting just 16.7% from the floor. The Lady Rams gave a much better second-half effort in the game, shooting 30.6% from the floor. WSSU senior forward Dionna Scott and junior guard Kesheria McNeil both recorded 12 points each to lead the way for the Lady Rams while senior forward Jovanah Graham led the WSSU rebounding effort with five rebounds.
The Lady Rams had a solid first half effort in the game as they battled the Hawks to a 9-9 tie with 8:25 left in the half. However, it was then that the Lady Rams' struggles began as they managed just two more field goals for the remainder of the half. Though the team struggled to hit shots, the team turned to their defensive efforts to keep the game within reach. After falling into a 9-14 deficit, sophomore guard Morgan Smiley connected on a three-pointer at the 4:42 mark that capped a four-point run by the Lady Rams that pulled the team within one point, 14-13. From there, the Lady Rams managed just three points and took a 16-22 deficit into the locker room at halftime.
The WSSU struggles continued in the second half as the Lady Rams fell behind early, but clawed their way back into the game with a great effort late. The Lady Rams managed just three field goals in the first 12 minutes of the half and fell behind by as many as 20 points, 23-43 with 7:35 left. The Lady Rams stepped up to the challenge with a furious late effort in the half. The Lady Rams mounted a 10-2 run that was capped by a McNeil lay-up at the 4:00 mark and cut the WSSU deficit down to 11 points, 35-46. The Lady Rams were able to get their deficit down to single digits when freshman guard Tiana Edwards connected on a three-pointer at the 1:01 mark. From there, the two teams turned up their defensive efforts with one lay-up each and one Chowan free throw highlighted the final minute of play. The effort left the Lady Rams with the 53-44 loss.
With the loss, the Lady Rams fall to 5-8 overall and 1-3 in Central intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team won't have long to recover as they will host the Elizabeth City State Lady Vikings, Monday at 5:30 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.
