FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (7-11, 3-5 CIAA) ended their recent struggles when the team took a 57-52 win over the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos (7-11, 3-6 CIAA), Saturday afternoon. The Lady Rams took the win behind a strong defensive effort when the team held the Lady Broncos to less than 30 points in both halves of the game and pushed their way to their first win over the Lady Broncos since 2012.

The win was a key one for the Lady Rams as the team ended a two-game skid and picked up their first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division win of the season. In addition to a strong defensive effort with the team allowing just 52 points to the Lady Broncos, the Lady Rams also shot a solid 38.0% from the floor and had just 17 turnovers in the game. Defensively, the Lady Rams benefitted from some strong on-the-ball defense as they forced 27 turnovers by the Lady Broncos. The effort was a needed one for the Lady Rams as the team was outrebounded, 44-26 in the game. WSSU junior guard Kesheria McNeil led the way for the team with a game-high 15 points. Senior forward Dionna Scott and redshirt-senior guard Taylar Wells added 10 points each as well. Junior forward Tabitha Fudge and senior forward Jovanah Graham both added four rebounds each to lead the Lady Rams.

The Lady Rams took control of the game early and held off the Lady Broncos to hold on for a first half lead. The Lady Rams opened the half, jumping out to an 8-3 lead after a lay-up form junior guard Awa Kalmstrom at the 15:48 mark. The lead would hold up for the Lady Rams as Fayetteville State went on an 11-6 run and tied the game, 14-14, midway through the half. Though the Lady Rams remained in control of the game for the half, the team had to fend off a hard-charging Lady Broncos effort. The Lady Rams pushed  their lead to as many as seven points, 27-20 after a free throw from sophomore guard Morgan Smiley with 4:08 left to play, but the WSSU lead was cut down to just one point, 29-28 with 00:11 left in the half. Fayetteville State scored six unanswered points to nearly erase the WSSU lead. However, the Lady Rams answered the call with a McNeil lay-up with three seconds left to leave the Lady Rams on top, 31-28 at the half.

The tables were turned on the Lady Rams in the second half, but the team was able to answer and held on for the victory. Things started slow for the Lady Rams as the team was outscored 6-2 in the first two minutes of the half and fell behind, 34-33 with 17:53 left to play. After keeping their deficit to just a single point for the next three minutes of play, the Lady Rams fell victim to a 7-0 run by the Lady Broncos and were saddled by their largest deficit of the game when they trailed the Lady Broncos, 47-39 with 9:16 left to play. Though challenged the Lady Rams answered and battled their way back into the game with an 8-1 run that tied the game, 48-48 with a lay-up from Scott with 5:28 left to play. The Lady rams dominated the final five minutes when they outscored FSU, 9-4 in the remainder of the game and sealed the victory. McNeil powered the late run for the Lady Rams with five of the team's nine points.

With the win, the Lady Rams improve to 7-11 overall, 1-2 in the CIAA Southern Division, and 3-5 in CIAA play. The Lady Rams will get some much needed rest as the team will return to action next Saturday when they host the Livingstone Lady Blue Bears at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The game in scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. 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.