WINSTON-SALEM, NC – There was no last slump for the Winston-Salem State Rams (2-6), Saturday afternoon when the team took a 64-55 win over the Clark-Atlanta Panthers (3-4). After scoring just 26 first half points, the Rams showed up for 38 second half points, including outscoring the Lady Panthers 18-7 in the fourth quarter.

The Rams took the win behind some strong shooting along with some clutch defense, Saturday, and the team needed it all to get past a pesky Clark Atlanta team. WSSU junior guard Tiana Edwards led the way for the team with 16 points in the win. Senior center Jatzmin Johnson and senior forward Jasmine Carter both added nine points in the game while senior center Taylor Boyd led the WSSU rebounding effort with eight rebounds each.

The strong finish to the game was in stark contrast to the team's slow start as the team allowed 20 first quarter points to the Lady Panthers. After opening the game with a 6-3 start, the Rams first fell behind, 12-11 after an 8-5 run by the Lady Panthers with 2:39 left in the quarter. A Carter three-pointer was all the offense that the Rams could muster for the remainder of the quarter as the team ended the quarter trailing, 20-14.

The second quarter was just as tough for the Rams as the team fell behind by as many as seven points, but a strong finish gave the team some much needed life at the end of the half. After the first four minutes of play, the Rams trailed the Panthers, 27-20 with 6:07 left before an Edwards jumper sparked the team to a six-point run that was capped by a jumper from senior guard Taelor Mandeville at the 1:46 mark that cut the team's deficit down to just one point, 27-26 with 1:46 left in the half. Both teams clamped down on defense for the remainder of the half as a Clark Atlanta three-pointer at the 00:47 mark left the halftime score, 30-26. 

The Rams began their great second half of play with a stellar third quarter performance that included scoring 20 points. The team kicked things off with nine straight points that included three points each from Edwards, Johnson, and Boyd and left the Rams on top, 35-30 with 6:24 left in the quarter. The Rams would push their lead to as many as nine points after another Edwards three-pointer and a free throw from Boyd left the team on top, 41-32 with 4:53 left in the period. The Rams would face a challenge when the Lady Panthers scored 11 straight points and left WSSU trailing, 43-41 after a three-pointer, but Edwards answered with a three-pointer of her own with 1:48 left in the quarter and put the Rams back on top, 44-43. The two teams kept their battle going in the final minute of the quarter when the Rams finished trailing, 48-46.

After a strong third quarter performance, the Rams dominated the fourth quarter to take their second home win of the season. The team took control at the 6:20 mark when Carter knocked down a three-pointer that left the team on top, 53-50. She would knock down another three-pointer as a part of a 9-3 WSSU run that left the team leading, 59-53 with 1:46 left to play. From there, the Rams clamped down on defense, allowing just one more field goal and finished the game with the 64-55 victory.

With the win, the Rams improve to 2-6 overall. The team will closed out the inaugural Red & White Classic when the host the Voorhees Lady Tigers. 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.