WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (6-11, 2-5 CIAA) staged a thrilling comeback, but the effort fell just short in an 84-76 loss to the Shaw Lady Bears (11-9, 4-4 CIAA). The Lady Rams took the loss in spite of a brilliant second half of play that saw the team cut a 22-point deficit down to the slimmest of margins in the hard-fought loss.

The game turned out to be a story of two halves for the Lady Rams as the strong second half was preceded by a first half filled with struggle. In the end, the Lady Rams finished the game shooting a solid 41.7% from the floor. WSSU freshman guard Tiana Edwards led the way for the team with a career-high 24 points in the game, including going six-of-11 from the three-point line. Junior guard Kesheria McNeil added 16 points off the bench while junior forward Tabitha Fudge added 13 points. Senior forward Jovanah Graham led the team's rebounding effort with five rebounds in the game.

The Lady Rams' struggles began early as they battled through some tough Shaw defense and major foul troubles. Points came hard to come by for both teams with the Lady Rams and Lady Bears playing to an 11-11 tie with 12:39 left in the half. After pulling ahead, 22-21 after a lay-up from sophomore guard Morgan Smiley with 7:38 left to play, the Lady Rams allowed nine unanswered points to the Lady Bears to fall behind, 30-22 with 4:43 left in the half. The Lady Rams were able to cut their eight-point deficit down to five points with a late 5-2 run that cut the team's deficit to just five points, 32-27, after a free throw from junior guard Awa Kalmstrom at the 1:44 mark. The WSSU offense would struggle in the final minute of the half and ended the half with the Lady Rams trailing, 36-27 at halftime. For the half, the Lady Rams found themselves handcuffed by foul troubles and turnovers with 14 first half fouls and 10 turnovers.

Though the Lady Rams' first half struggles carried over into the early second half, the Lady Rams staged a furious comeback late that fell just short in the tough loss. For the half, the Lady Rams totaled just two turnovers and shot 42.2% from the field, including a scorching hot, 40.0% (six-of-15) from the three-point line. Things looked bleak early for the Lady Rams with just two field goals in the first five minutes of play while Shaw pushed its lead to 22 points, 53-31 with 15:44 left to play. After falling behind by as many as 24 points, the Lady Rams would not give in as they staged a late rally. The comeback was sparked by a hot-shooting performance from Edwards who connected on three-pointers in four straight possessions for the Lady Rams. The effort provided a key spark for the team and kept the team in the game. After the Edwards three-pointers, the Lady Rams showed new life and went on a 17-3 run that reduced their deficit down to just five points, 71-66 with 3:59 left. Edwards would add another three-pointer to give the Lady Rams their smallest deficit of the half, 73-69. After back-to-back scores by the Lady Bears, Scott added a three-pointer of her own to leave the score, 77-72, with 1:13 left to play. From there, the Lady Rams' comeback fell short with Shaw connecting on four-of-five free throws in the final minute. McNeil would score a pair of baskets in the final eight seconds of the game, but the effort was not enough as it sealed the 84-76 loss for the Lady Rams.

The team will not have long to relax, however, as they will hit the road for their next action when they head to Fayetteville, N.C. to take on the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos, 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.