WISE,VA – The Winston-Salem State Rams (0-3) battled for all 40 minutes, but the team could not quite get their comeback completed when the team took a 66-50 loss to the University of the Virginia Colleges-Wise, Wednesday evening. The Rams took the loss in spite of a furious comeback effort in the second half, but the effort was not quite enough as the team took the 16-point road loss to the Cavaliers.

The Rams struggled to battle past a tough, physical Cavaliers team while plagued with foul troubles for much of the contest. As a team, the Rams totaled 21 fouls in the game and sent the Cavaliers to the free throw line for 20 attempts, twice as many as WSSU. The Rams were outmuscled in the paint as Virginia-Wise held a 51-28 rebounding edge over the Rams. Points were also hard to come by for the Rams as well as the team shot just 36.1% (22-of-61) from the floor in the loss. WSSU junior guard Tiana Edwards led the way for the Rams with 14 points while fellow junior center Kandace Tate added eight points. Senior center Taylor Boyd also added seven points while sophomore guard Brionna Pate pulled in a team-high six rebounds.

The first quarter was impressive for the Rams as they battled to a 15-18 score. The Rams opened the game with a strong effort. The team started the game on a down note with the Cavaliers jumping out to a 9-4 lead before s 7-2 run tied the game, 11-11 after a Boyd jumper with 3:03 left in the quarter. Freshman guard Aja Stevens gave the Rams their first lead of the evening when she got a steal and lay-up that left the Rams on top, 13-11 with 2:20 left. The team allowed five straight points to the Cavaliers to fall behind 13-16, but senior center Jatzmin Johnson hit a layup with 00:17 left to pull the team to within one point, 15-16. However, the Rams allowed a jumper at the buzzer to leave the score, 15-18 at the end of the quarter.

While both teams had strong offensive efforts in the first quarter, they both turned in equally impressive defensive efforts in the second quarter as the two teams combined for 13 points. Senior forward Jasmine Carter got things started for the Rams when she hit a jumper with 6:39 left in the quarter to cut the WSSU deficit down to one point, 17-18, but the Cavaliers answered with seven straight points to leave the Rams trailing, 17-25 with 4:27 left in the first half. The Rams would break out late to cut their deficit in half with a furious finish to the second quarter as a Stevens lay-up was followed by a lay-up from Boyd with four seconds left that left the Rams trailing, 21-25 at halftime.

The Rams kept the game close with a hard-fought third quarter. A lay-up from Edwards sparked the Rams when the Rams pulled to within three points, 23-26 with 6:36 left in the third quarter. After falling behind by as many as six points, 31-25 with 4:34 left in the third quarter, the Rams battled their way back into the game with an 11-4 run that was capped by a three-point play from Tate at the third quarter buzzer that left the Rams trailing, 36-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, the WSSU run would not last long as the team was outscored 28-14 in the fourth quarter. The Rams paid dearly for foul troubles during the quarter as the Cavaliers connected on 12-of-13 free throws to pull away from the Rams. After a Pate lay-up with 8:46 left to play kept the Rams within two points, the team allowed a run from the Cavaliers and fell behind 63-41 before a Boyd lay-up with 2:11 left broke the drought for WSSU. From there, the Rams were able to make a run when they outscored the Cavaliers, 9-3 in the final two minutes of the game, but the comeback effort was not enough as the Rams ended the evening with the loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 0-3 on the season. The team will return to action, Saturday afternoon when they host the USC-Aiken Pacers in the home opener for the Rams. The game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start at the C.E. Gaines Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State University. Admission to the game is free.

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.