WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (1-2) could not overcome foul troubles and several costly turnovers in a 66-55 loss to the University of Virginia-Wise Cavaliers (1-0), Wednesday evening. With 33 turnovers and 31 total fouls, the Rams struggled to get their offense into gear against the Cavaliers.

The loss came in spite of a strong defensive effort by the Rams. As a team, the Rams forced 21 turnovers and held the Cavaliers to shooting just 38% from the floor in the game, but the Rams struggled to get their own offense going as they scored just 55 points in the game in spite of shooting a solid 44.2% from the floor. WSSU sophomore guard Tiana Edwards led the scoring effort for the Rams with a team-high 15 points in the game. The sophomore tandem of center Kandace Tate and forward Jasmine Carter both added nine points for the Rams while junior forward Sha'Quira Palmer added seven points. Tate led the Rams in the paint with six rebounds and four blocks in the game as well.

The troubles started early for the Rams and continued throughout the game. The Rams struggled early in the first quarter when the team fell behind in an 11-2 run by the Cavaliers. The Rams soon woke up and pulled to within three points of the Cavaliers, 10-13 at the 2:09 mark in the first quarter. It was an 8-2 run by the Rams that featured a pair of Carter lay-ups that got things going for the team. However, the WSSU offense would struggle once again as Virginia-Wise pushed its lead to eight points before an Edwards three-pointer with two seconds left in the quarter left the Rams trailing, 13-18 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter saw a better effort for the Rams, but the team could never get back into the groove as they continued to struggle with fouls. Things looked good early for the Rams as they cut their deficit down to just two points after a pair of Edwards free throws and a free throw from sophomore forward Briana Arnold capped a three-point run for the Rams and left the team trailing, 16-18 with 8:30 left in the half. After allowing the Cavaliers to go ahead by as many as six points, the Rams answered once again when Palmer completed a three-point play that pulled the Rams back to within three points of the Cavaliers, 19-22 with 5:18 left in the half. The Rams would keep things close until late in the half when Virginia-Wise went ahead by as many as seven points, 30-23 with 00:55 left. The Rams would have an answer late in the half when a lay-up by sophomore forward Briana Arnold capped a 6-2 WSSU run and left the Rams trailing, 29-32 at halftime.

The see-saw battle continued late into the second half for the Rams, but the team could not overcome their turnover struggles and finished the evening with the loss. After keeping to within three-points of the Cavaliers, 33-36 with 7:49 left in the third quarter, the Rams fell behind, 36-47 after an 11-3 run by the Cavaliers with 2:04 left in the third quarter. Down the stretch, the Rams made a run to cut their deficit down to single digits, 40-48 after an Edwards at the third quarter buzzer. In the fourth and final quarter, the Rams' foul troubles came back to haunt them late in the quarter. The Rams looked good early with a 7-1 WSSU run that featured a Carter three-pointer and left the Rams trailing, 47-49 with 8:06 left to play. The run was much as the Rams could muster with the Cavaliers mounting a seven-point run and left the Rams trailing, 47-56 with 6:28 left to play. After allowing the Cavaliers to go ahead by as many as 11 points 60-49 with 4:18 left to play, the Rams made an effort to rally, but in the end, the team could not pull out the win as foul outs shortened the team's bench and ultimately sealed the WSSU loss, 66-55.

The Rams won't have long to recover when the team will return to action, Saturday when the team takes  on the Wilmington (Del.) Wildcats in the Elizabeth City State University Classic. The Rams will take the court in a 5:00 p.m. game. For more information on Rams women's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.