BREVARD, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (1-6) played one of the best quarters of the season, but the team could not get over the hump when the team took a 60-50 road loss to the Brevard Tornados (4-0), Wednesday evening. The loss came in spite of a solid second half of play when the Rams scored 31 second half points, including 20 third quarter points in the tough loss.

The Rams had a solid overall performance in the game. As team, the Rams shot 34.6% (18-of-52) from the floor in the game, but the team was hampered by 23 turnovers in the game. WSSU junior guard Tiana Edwards led the team's scoring attack with 14 points in the game while junior center Kandace Tate added 10 points off the bench as well. Senior guard Trei Torain nearly pulled off a double-double when she scored nine points to accompany 10 rebounds in the game.

The Rams got off to a hot start to the game with an early lead, but a late surge by the Tornados proved costly. WSSU jumped ahead early with a 10-4 start to the game. The team allowed just one field goal in the first five minutes of the game. However, things soon got tough for the Rams when Brevard went on a 10-2 run in the final five minutes of the quarter and left the Rams trailing, 14-12. An Edwards jumper with 1:08 left in the quarter was the only WSSU score in the final five minutes of the opening period.

The second quarter was totally different for the Rams as the team had to fend off a 10-point run by the Tornados, but the team would answer late. A free throw from junior forward Briana Arnold was the sole score of the first five minutes of the quarter for the Rams. After falling behind by as many as 10 points, 25-15 with 5:29 left to play, the Rams  closed the half with a 4-2 run that included jumpers from Edwards and senior center Jatzmin Johnson that left the team trailing, 27-19 at the half.

The third quarter proved to be one of the best quarters of play for the season for the Rams when the team scored 20 points and secured their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. After a Brevard lay-up left the Rams trailing, 29-19, the Rams broke out in a big way when a Tate jumper sparked a 13-5 run by the Rams that pulled the team to within two points, 34-32 with 2:58 left to play in the quarter. It was Tate who powered the run as she scored six of the team's points. A three-pointer from freshman guard Aja Stevens pulled the Rams to within a point before an Arnold jumper with 00:16 left in the quarter gave the Rams their first lead of the half, 39-38.

As good as the Rams were in the third quarter, the team could not stop a fourth quarter surge from the Tornados as the team allowed 22 fourth quarter points in the loss. A pair of Tate free throws and a lay-up from Edwards were all that the Rams could muster in the first five minutes of the quarter as Brevard mounted a 10-4 run that left the Rams trailing, 48-43 with 3:17 left to play. Torain would spark a WSSU comeback with a three-pointer with 2:37 left that kept the game within reach, 48-46. However, the team was outscored 14-4 in the final minutes of the game. A Tate lay-up with 00:41 left capped the WSSU scoring before some clutch free throw shooting from Brevard and a WSSU shooting slump proved to be too much for the Rams to overcome in the 60-50 loss.

The Rams fall to 1-6 on the season with the loss. The team will look to magic of home court to provide a spark as the team will host the inaugural Red & White Classic. The Rams will host the Clark-Atlanta Panthers to open the two-day event at 4:00 p.m.

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.