MURFREESBORO, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (4-8, 0-3 CIAA) gave a tremendous effort, but the team could overcome turnovers and foul troubles in the hard-fought loss, Saturday afternoon. The Rams took the loss in spite of an inspired defensive effort as the Rams held the Hawks to shooting just 26.9% from their home floor in the game.

While the Rams were able to slow down the Hawks' shooting, the team could not overcome some foul troubles that prove critical in the loss. As a team, the Rams totaled 38 fouls in a game that featured three foul outs and 61 Chowan free throws. Adding to the Rams' problems were turnover struggles as the team committed 33 turnovers in the game.

Offensively, the Rams finished the game with 59 points and shot a solid 36.4% from the floor. WSSU sophomore center Kandace Tate led the way for the Rams with a game-high 12 points. Sophomore forward Briana Arnold added 11 points in just 20 minutes of play. Junior forward Jasmine Carter led the Rams' rebounding effort with another near double-double as she had nine rebounds to go along with seven points in the game.

Things looked good early for the Rams when a lay-up from junior forward Taylor Boyd capped a 7-3 start for the Rams with 5:38 left in the first quarter. The Rams held on to the lead when senior guard Jazmyn Saunders kept the Rams on top, 9-6 with 4:51 left in the quarter. The Rams remained in front of the Hawks for much of the quarter, but a 9-2 run by the Hawks that included seven free throws from the Hawks left the Rams trailing, 11-15 after the first quarter.

The Rams opened the second quarter with an inspired effort as the team scored four straight points to tie game, 15-15 on a Tate lay-up with 7:37 left in the half. However, Chowan answered the WSSU run with 10 straight points to leave the Rams trailing 25-15 before a jumper from Carter broke the run and left the Rams trailing 17-25 with 3:47 left in the half. From there, it was the Rams on the move as the team scored six straight points, including an Arnold lay-up with 1:33 left in the half pulled the Rams to within four points, 21-25. A Chowan free throw would end the half and left the Rams trailing, 21-26.

The third quarter belonged to the Rams as the team outscored the Hawks 18-13 and the team was able to put a dent into their deficit. It was Arnold who sparked the effort for the Rams as she scored on three straight possessions to lead a 6-1 run by the Rams and pulled the team to within one point, 27-28 with 7:19 left in the quarter. Chowan would cool off the Rams and scored five straight points to go ahead 33-27 before an Arnold lay-up at the 4:04 mark ended the run. After going down once again by as many as six points, 31-37, WSSU junior guard Trei Torain kicked things into gear for the Rams when she scored five straight points to pull the Rams within one point, 36-37 with 1:53 left in the third quarter. Things would really heat up in the final minute as a steal and lay-up from senior guard Awa Kalmstrom capped a furious effort that tied the game 39-39 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Rams' momentum cooled off in the fourth quarter as Chowan scored nine unanswered points to put the Rams into a 48-39 deficit with just over seven minutes left to play. After going behind by as many as 10 points, 47-57 with 4:25 left to play, the Rams made one last late push, led by Torain, who scored four straight points, followed by a Craine jumper that pulled the Rams within three points, 55-58 with 1:48 left to play. After going down by as many as seven points once again, the Rams made one last push with Kalmstrom and Tate added a four-point WSSU run that pulled the team within three points once again, 59-62 with 00:25 left. The effort was all that the Rams could muster as Chowan hit three clutch free throws in the final seconds to seal the 65-59 WSSU loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 4-8 on the season and 0-3 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The Rams will close out their three-game road trip when they head to Elizabeth City, N.C. to take on the Elizabeth City State Vikings in a 5:30 p.m. game, Monday evening. 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.