CHARLOTTE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (12-16) had the plan, the effort, and the execution, but the team just ran out of gas when they took a 61-43 loss to the Shaw Lady Bears (23-6) in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Rams took the loss in spite of one of their best efforts of the season as they gave the top-seeded Lady Bears all they could handle in the game.

The turned out to be a story of two halves as the Rams controlled the first half from the first tip to the final buzzer en route to a 26-20 halftime lead, but in the second half, the team struggled to find their offense as foul troubles and unforced turnovers derailed the team's upset bid as they were outscored 41-17 to end the day with the loss.

"I think in the first half, we had a game plan and it was really important that Awa [Kalmstrom] orchestrated that in terms of managing the game… And I thought that Jasmine [Carter] came off the bench and helped us offensively, and that's why we were able to control the game in the first half," WSSU head coach A.G. Hall said. "I think we scared ourselves in terms of believing that we had a chance to win and started the second half with some fouls and then it just kind of got away from us." 

Though the statistics will not show it, the Rams played one of their best games of the season when they needed to most, holding the top offense in the conference to just 61 points, including just 20 first half points. Unfortunately, the WSSU offense had its own issues as the Rams shot just 27.3% from the floor in the game. WSSU freshman guard Brionna Pate continued her great play recently when she tied a career-high with 12 points to lead the Rams. Junior forward Jasmine Carter added 10 points off the bench for the Rams. Sophomore center Kandace Tate led the WSSU rebounding effort with six rebounds while Pate pulled in five.

The first half was the best half of the season for the Rams as they combined a methodical half-court offense with some stifling defense to control the first and second quarters. The Rams opened the game on fire when they jumped out to a 6-0 lead after a three-pointer from junior guard Trei Torain. The WSSU defense was especially tough as they didn't allow a field goal to the Lady Bears until the 2:51 mark in the quarter. It wouldn't take long for Shaw to answer; however, as the Rams allowed a Shaw jumper at the 1:31 mark to cap a five-point run and tied the game. A Pate three-pointer just over a minute later would break the tie and sent the Rams to the second quarter with a 9-6 lead.

The second quarter saw more of the same as the Rams once again used an early run to build a lead. A Pate lay-up with 7:34 left in the quarter gave the Rams a seven-point lead. The Rams would not only maintain the lead, they expanded it late into the quarter when a Carter three-pointer at the 1:02 mark put the Rams on top, 26-16. However, the division champion Lady Bears would not go down easily as they closed the half with back-to-back scores, but in the end, the Rams took a 26-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The third quarter saw the tables turned as it was Shaw on the attack with back-to-back early scores to cut the WSSU lead down to just two points ,26-24 with 8:52 left in the quarter. Though Shaw continued to push, the Rams answered every challenge as a three-pointer from redshirt-sophomore center Jatzmin Johnson kept the Rams on top, 33-29 with 3:45 left. It was then that things got tough for the Rams as the team committed back-to-back fouls on three-point attempts to give six points to the Lady Bears and left the Rams trailing for the first time, 33-35 with 2:22 left in the third quarter. A Carter jumper kept the Rams in the mix, tying the game 35-35 with 1:31 left in the quarter, but the effort was not enough as the Rams were held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter and fell behind, 40-35.

In the fourth quarter, the Rams could never get back into the game as Shaw held the team to just eight points. Things looked good early with Carter starting the quarter with a three-pointer to cut the WSSU deficit down to just two points, 38-40 with 9:05 left to play. The Rams would stay within two points, 40-42 after a lay-up from sophomore forward Briana Arnold at the 7:14 mark, but the Rams simply ran out of gas with just one made field goal in the final seven minutes of the game. A three-pointer from Pate at the 2:48 mark was all the offense that the Rams could muster for the remainder of the game as Shaw pulled away for the 61-43 victory.

With the loss, the Rams complete the 2015-16 season with a 12-16 record and their third straight trip to the quarterfinal round of the CIAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. 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.