WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State University Rams (8-10, 4-5 CIAA) fell victim to a fourth-quarter rally by the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (13-8, 6-4 CIAA), Wednesday evening. After leading 46-36 after the first three quarters of play, the Rams were outscored 26-12 to send the team to a heartbreaking loss.

The loss came in spite of a great overall effort by the Rams as the team had some solid play on both ends of the court. As a team, the Rams shot a solid 37.7% (20-of-53) from the floor. The team also forced 21 turnovers by the Golden Bulls. Unfortunately, the Rams committed 25 turnovers of their own in the loss. Four WSSU players scored nine points each to lead the way for the team WSSU sophomore forward Briana Arnold, along with junior forward Jasmine Carter, led the effort with nine points and eight rebounds while junior forward Jeri Craine added nine points. Freshman guard Brionna Pate who scored a career-high nine points as well.

Things looked great early for the Rams as the team dominated the entire first half. The Rams outscored the Golden Bulls 12-4 in the opening quarter and held the Golden Bulls to just one field goal. While the Rams allowed the Golden Bulls to get some things going with 12 points in the second quarter, the Rams broke open on their own to score 17 second quarter points. The Rams allowed the Golden Bulls to trim the WSSU lead down to one point, 14-13 with 7:06 left in the half, but the Rams answered with seven straight points to stay ahead 21-13 with 5:16 left in the quarter. In the end, the Rams ended the half with an impressive 24-21 lead.

The second half turned out to be a tale of two quarters with the Rams outscoring the Golden Bulls 22-15 in the third quarter, but then the team fell victim to a fourth-quarter onslaught. During the third quarter, the Rams went ahead by as many as 15 points, 42-27 at the 3:40 mark. Unfortunately, it was then that the Golden Bulls defense would kick into gear as the Rams were held without a field goal for the remainder of the quarter. At the end of the quarter, the Rams held off the Golden Bulls to hold on to a 46-36 lead heading into the final quarter of the game. The Rams held on to their 10-point lead, 48-38 early in the quarter before a 14-3 run by the Golden Bulls left the Rams trailing, 51-52 with 4:05 left in the game. From there, the Rams would never manage to reclaim their lead after going behind by as many as seven points in the loss.

The Rams now fall to 8-10 overall and 4-5 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play and 2-2 in CIAA Southern Division play. The Rams will look to pick things up once again when the team returns to action, Saturday when they head to nearby Salisbury, N.C. to take on the Livingstone College Blue Bears.

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.