SHEPHERDSTOWN, WVA – The points were hard to come by for the Winston-Salem State Rams (0-2) women's basketball team when the team took a 59-47 loss to the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats (2-0) on the second day of the CIAA/MEC Challenge hosted by Shepherd University. Though there was no shortage of defensive effort from the Rams, the team could not seem to get their offense in gear in the tough loss.

As a team, the Rams gave a solid defensive effort, but the team's offensive struggles proved to be costly to the team. The Rams finished the game with 47 total points on a 28.8% (19-of-66) shooting evening. WSSU senior guard Trei Torain led the way for the Rams with 11 points in the game while senior center Taylor Boyd and senior forward Jasmine Carter both added 10 points in the game. Defensively, the Rams had a solid effort holding the Mountain Cats to 59 points and forced 26 turnovers in the game.

The first quarter was especially tough for the Rams as the team was outscored 19-6. The Rams played tough early as they trailed 5-7 following a free throw from senior center Jatzmin Johnson at the 5:20 mark in the quarter. But things got tough for the team for the remainder of the quarter as the Mountain Lions mounted a 12-1 run and left the Rams trailing, 19-6 heading into the second quarter.

The Rams gave a better effort in the second quarter, but the team could not stop the Mountain Lions who continued to pull away and left the Rams trailing, 33-14 at halftime. A lay-up from senior center Kandace Tate was all the offense the Rams could muster early in the quarter as Pitt-Johnstown pushed the WSSU deficit to 23-8 before a lay-up from Boyd stopped the run. The WSSU offense continued to struggle down the stretch of the quarter as a lay-up from Carter was the only field goal for the remainder of the half and left the Rams trailing, 33-14 at halftime.

After struggling for much of the first half, the Rams broke out with a strong second half, outscoring the Mountain Lions in both quarters of the half, but the team could not overcome its sluggish first half effort. After falling behind by 20 points, 40-20, the Rams kicked into gear for a strong late rally. The team outscored Pitt-Johnstown 6-3 in the remainder of the third quarter after a lay-up from Carter and a pair of Torain to head into the fourth quarter trailing, 46-28.

The fourth quarter was another thrilling effort for the Rams, but once again, the effort was not quite enough for the Rams. After falling behind, 53-33 with 6:03 left, the Rams made a thrilling rally. The Rams outscored the Mountain Cats, 14-6 in the final six minutes of the game. The run included two lay-ups and a pair of free throws from Boyd while freshman guard Jahlia Williams added a lay-up. In the end, the Rams' effort was not quite enough as the team ended the day with the 59-47 loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 0-2 to open the season. The team will return to action, Wednesday when the team heads to Wise, Virginia to take on the University of Virginia-Wise. For more information on Rams women's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations or log on to www.WSSURams.com.