RALEIGH, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (6-9, 2-3 CIAA) staged a huge second half comeback to claim a thrilling 70-69 road win over the Saint Augustine's Falcons (3-16, 0-7 CIAA), Saturday afternoon. With just 24 seconds left to play, WSSU freshman guard Jahlia Williams hit a clutch lay-up and free throw that helped the Rams to secure the win in the Rams' Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division opener, Saturday afternoon.

After trailing by 11 points at halftime, the Rams outscored the Falcons 44-32 in the second half to claim the victory. The highlight of the game turned out to be the Rams' 28-pont third quarter effort that sparked the team to the victory.

The Rams took the win behind a gritty effort at both ends of the court when they combined a solid shooting effort, going 23-of-60 (38.3%) for the game while forcing 29 turnovers by the Falcons. WSSU sophomore guard Brionna Pate led the way for the Rams with a double-double 14 points and 12 rebounds in the game while senior center Taylor Boyd added 12 points and two assists. WSSU senior guard Trei Torain added 11 points with six rebounds as well.

The Rams had to overcome a sluggish first quarter effort at Saint Augustine's jumped out to the early lead. After opening the game with a Pate lay-up, the Rams did not hit another field goal for the next four minutes and fell into a 5-8 deficit after a jumper from senior guard Taelor Mandeville with 4:27 left in the quarter. The Rams fell behind by as many as six points, 6-12 before a late run cut their deficit down to just two points, 10-12 on a Pate jumper with just 12 seconds left. However, a three-point play by the Falcons left the Rams trailing, 10-15 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter saw a bit of the same as the Rams fell victim to an inspired effort by the Falcons in front of their enthusiastic fans. Things looked good early for the Rams who opened the quarter with six straight points, including back-to-back-to-back lay-ups from Boyd, freshman guard Jahlia Williams, and Pate who gave the team a 16-15 lead with 7:38 left in the half. The struggles would once again rise for the Rams when the team allowed an 8-2 run by the Falcons before a jumper from senior forward Jatzmin Johnson ended the run and pulled the Rams to within three points, 20-23 with 4:09 left in the quarter. From there, the Rams went cold except for a three-pointer from Pate at the 1:42 mark that pulled the team to within three points 28-25 with 1:42. It was the only field goal for the remainder of the half as the Rams took a 37-26 deficit into the locker room at halftime.

While the first half may have been a bit sluggish, but that was not the case in the second half when the team exploded for 28 third quarter points. It was senior guard Jazmyn Saunders who hit a three-pointer at the 4:09 mark that sparked a 14-0 run that left the Rams on top, 49-43 with 1:09 left in the quarter. Torain would cap the third quarter with a three-pointer with 00:13 seconds left in the quarter and left the Rams on top, 54-46.

After claiming the lead on a third quarter explosion, the Rams needed some clutch play to seal the team's victory. Junior guard Tiana Edwards opened the quarter with a three-pointer that gave the Rams their largest lead of the game, 57-46 with 9:43 left to play. Unfortunately, the Rams fell victim to an 11-2 run by the Falcons that trimmed the WSSU lead down to just two-point 59-57 with 6:09 left to play. Things got tough for the Rams as the team was held without a field goal for three minutes as Saint Augustine's clawed their way back into the game, tying the score, 63-63 with 2:50 left to play. Boyd would then hit a three-point play to keep the Rams ahead, 66-63 2ith 2:26 left to play. Saint Augustine's would score on back-to-back lay-ups to leave the Rams trailing, 66-67 before Williams' heroics left the Rams on top, 69-67 with 24 seconds left to play. Senior guard Taelor Mandeville connected on a free throw to leave the Rams on top, 70-67 before Saint Augustine's went two-for-three at the free throw line with just over two seconds left to play and the Rams went on to claim the victory.

With the win, the Rams improve to 6-9 and 2-3 in CIAA play. More importantly, the team took a key CIAA Southern Division win. The Rams will return to action, Monday when the team hosts the Chowan Hawks in a 1:00 p.m. game. 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.