Box Score ELIZABETH CITY, NC – The Winston-Salem State University (2-3) used a stellar defensive effort to take a 58-43 win over the Washington Adventist Shock (4-2), Sunday afternoon. Playing in their fifth game in the last seven days, the Rams showed that they had enough left for a great defensive effort when they held their opponents to just 43 points and shooting just 23.5% from the floor.
Though the Rams defense stole the show, the team did have a strong offensive performance in the game as well. As a team, the Rams shot a solid 42.3% from the floor and pulled in 36 rebounds in the win. WSSU sophomore center Kandace Tate led the way for the team with 17 points and seven rebounds in the game. Sophomore guard Tiana Edwards and junior forward Jasmine Carter added 12 points each as well. WSSU junior forward Sha'Quira Palmer led the WSSU rebounding effort with eight rebounds in the game.
The Rams dominated the game from beginning to end and the effort showed in a strong first half. The Rams took control of the game after opening with a seven-point run that included five points from Edwards that put the Rams on top, 7-0 with 7:06 left in the first quarter. The Rams would go ahead by as many as 10 points in the first half, 12-2 and would not allow the Shock to get within less than five points for the remainder of the quarter. In the end, the Rams finished the quarter with an 18-11 lead. The second quarter saw more of the same for the Rams as the team kept the Shock at arms' length for the remainder of the half. A Tate lay-up at the 1:22 mark capped a seven-point WSSU run that left the team on top, 29-17. From there, the Rams allowed four points to the Shock to take a 29-21 halftime lead into the locker room.
The second half was more exciting for the Rams with the two teams both making better offensive efforts. Once again, the Rams once again jumped ahead with four unanswered points to go ahead, 33-21 with 8:04 left in the third quarter. The Shock would soon answered as they cut the WSSU lead down to eight points, 33-25 with 4:57 left in the quarter, but the Rams would soon wear down their opponents to remain in control of the game. The Rams closed the quarter with a 9-2 run that left WSSU on top, 43-28. In the fourth quarter, the Rams matched the Shock's 15 points with 15 points of their own to seal the victory. The Rams were able to build their biggest lead of the game when an Arnold lay-up at the 8:20 mark capped a four-point run that left the Rams on top, 47-28. From there, Washington Adventist was able to turn on their offense, but the Rams would hold off the hard-charging Shock and finished the day with the 58-43 win.
With the win, the Rams improve to 2-3 on the season. The team will return to action on December 2nd to take on the Brevard Tornado in a 5:30 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.
