CHARLOTTE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (7-12, 3-6 CIAA) struggled mightily in a 68-46 road loss to the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls (16-4, 6-3 CIAA), Wednesday evening. Though there was no shortage of effort from the Lady Rams, the team could not seem to get past the tough Lady Golden Bulls' defense as the team shot just 26.6% from the floor in the loss.

For the game, the Lady Rams had their share of struggles at both ends of the court. The team finished game with just 46 points, including scoring under 30 points in both halves. Additionally, the Lady Rams committed 24 turnovers, which led to 24 points for the Lady Golden Bulls. The Lady Rams also found it tough to stop the Lady Golden Bulls as the WSSU opponents shot a scorching hot 45.1% from the floor. WSSU sophomore forward Jasmine Carter was a bright spot for the Lady Rams as she led the team with eight points, four rebounds, and three steals in just 14 minutes of play. Freshman guard Tiana Edwards added eight points as well. Junior guard Kesheria McNeil added seven points while senior forward Dionna Scott scored six points with a team-high six rebounds.

Things looked good early for the Lady Rams, but some late struggles in both halves of the game proved to be too much for the team to overcome in the hard-fought loss. The two teams got things going with a hot start as they battled to a 6-6 tie on a jumper from senior forward Jovanah Graham with 17:40 left to play. However the Lady Rams fell into a slight slump when they allowed six unanswered points to the Golden Bulls to fall behind, 12-6 with 14:41 left in the half. It was midway through the half before the Lady Rams could right the ship as a free throw from McNeil pulled the Lady Rams within two points, 16-14 with 10:12 left and capped an 8-4 run by the Lady Rams. Unfortunately, the remainder of the half proved to be a struggle for the Lady Rams as the team was held to just seven points for the remainder of the half. The team fell into its largest deficit of the half at the 2:05 mark when the trailed, 31-18. An Edwards three-pointer at the 1:47 mark gave the Lady Rams some needed life, but the team allowed a pair of JCSU free throws to take a 33-21 deficit into the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, the Lady Rams made a valiant effort to get back into the game, but the team was stifled by shooting struggles for much of the half. The Lady Rams kicked things off on a high note as they opened the half with three straight points to cut their deficit down to single digits, 33-24 after a free throw from sophomore center Sha'Quira Palmer at the 17:48 mark. From there, things got tough for the Lady Rams as they allowed a 14-0 run by the Lady Golden Bulls to fall behind 48-25 with 12:25 left to play. The Lady Rams would make an effort to stop keep the game within reach, but they could stop the Lady Golden Bulls from pulling away. The Lady Rams' deficit grew to as many as 25 points, 59-34 with 4:37 left to play. The Lady Rams would make an effort to get back into the game with a strong late push. In the final four minutes of the game, the Lady Rams cut their deficit down to 19 points, 65-46 after a free throw from sophomore guard Taelor Mandeville capped a six-point run for the team. However, the effort was too late for the Lady Rams as the team ended the evening with the 68-46 loss.

With the loss, the Lady Rams fall to 7-12 on the season and 3-6 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team also falls to 1-3 in the CIAA Southern Division. The Lady Rams will return home, Saturday to host the Livingstone Lady Blue Bears at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 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.