WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (0-4) staged a furious fourth quarter comeback, but the effort fell short when the Rams took a 67-58 loss to the USC-Aiken Pacers (2-2), Saturday afternoon. After trailing by as many as 18 points during the game, the Rams scored 24 fourth quarter points, but the team could not get past the Pacers for the home opening loss.

The Rams took the loss behind a solid overall effort as the team cut down on its turnovers, but some rebounding and foul troubles proved to be too much for the Rams to overcome in the tough loss. WSSU junior guard Tiana Edwards led the way for the Rams with a team-high nine points. Senior forward Jasmine Carter, junior center Kandace Tate, and freshman guard Taniya Dunn all scored seven points each for the Rams. Carter and Dunn led the team's rebounding effort with five rebounds each.

The Rams got the game started with a slow start, but the team came alive for a strong first quarter. The Rams opened the game on a down note, allowing the Pacers to take a 9-2 lead with 4:00 left in the quarter. The Rams stormed back in a big way with seven straight points to tie the game on a jumper from senior center Jatzmin Johnson with 2:11 left in the quarter. After trading baskets with the Pacers in the final minute of the game, the Rams headed into the second quarter trailing, 11-13.

The second quarter was equally thrilling with the two teams scoring 11 points each. Once again, the Rams struggled out the gate with USC-Aiken scoring five unanswered points to start the half and left WSSU trailing, 18-11 with 8:43 left in the half. After a 30-second timeout, the Rams stepped up their defensive efforts, holding the Pacers without a field goal for over four minutes. With the defense rolling, the Rams offense kicked in. The team scored five straight points to pull to within two points, 18-16 after a Carter three-pointer with 5:02 left in the half. The Rams were not able to tie the game or to take a lead for the remainder of the half, but the Rams stayed within striking distance after a lay-up from sophomore guard Brionna Pate left the Rams trailing, 24-22 with 00:26 left. Neither team scored for the remainder of the half.

The third quarter was the toughest for the Rams as the team was outscored 25-12 to fall behind the Pacers. Tate scored the first five points of the quarter for the Rams and kept the game in reach, 30-27 with 7:30 left in the third quarter. It was then that things got tough for the Rams when the team allowed 10 unanswered points to the Pacers to fall behind, 40-27 with 3:43 left in the quarter. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Rams saw back-to-back lay-ups from senior center Taylor Boyd, followed by an Edwards three-pointer, but the Rams were held scoreless for the final minute and headed into the fourth quarter trailing, 49-34.

The fourth quarter saw momentum swing from one side of the court to the other with the Rams mounting a stellar comeback effort. The Rams fell into their largest deficit of the game, 55-37 with 8:15 left to play before beginning their comeback. A three-pointer from senior guard Taelor Mandeville sparked a 6-2 run by the Rams that was capped by a lay-up from freshman guard Jahlia Williams with 4:23 left to play. The Rams would add another 6-2 run later in the game to pull to cut their deficit into single digits, 64-55 after Edwards' second three-pointer of the game with 2:09 left to play. The two teams would trade three-pointers in the final minute, but that was all that the Rams could muster as the team ended the afternoon with the 67-58 loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 0-4 to open the season. The Rams will return to action, Tuesday evening when the team hosts the Morris Yellowjackets in another home game. The game is set for a 5:30 p.m. star. 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.