FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (9-9, 5-3 CIAA) played their best when it counted the most as the team took a 52-47 road win over the Fayetteville Stathe Re Lady Broncos (4-14, 2-7 CIAA), Saturday. After entering the fourth quarter with a seven-point deficit, the Rams exploded for 28 fourth quarter points to claim their fourth straight victory.

Thought the Rams found points hard to come by at times, the team showed up in a big way to take the win. As a team, the Rams made just 16 field goals in the game to shoot 37.2% (16-of-43) from the floor. However, the team made up for it defensively when they held the Lady Broncos to shooting just 25.4% (16-of-63) from the floor. The junior duo of center Kandace Tate and Tiana Edwards led the way for the Rams with 11 points each while senior center Taylor Boyd came off the bench for 10 points. Senior forward Jasmine Carter led the Rams' rebounding effort with a team-high seven rebounds in the game.

The game turned out to be a see-saw battle from the very beginning with the Rams jumping out with a strong first quarter effort. The team was especially impressive defensively when they held the Lady Broncos to just two first quarter field goals and took an 11-5 lead in the quarter. The duo of Boyd and Tate led the way with both scoring four points each during the quarter.

The momentum swung to the other end of the court in the second quarter. This time it was the Rams who totaled just five points in the quarter. After scoring the first three points of the quarter and pushing their lead to nine points, 14-5 with 7:59 left in the half, the Rams struggled as they allowed Fayetteville State to score 13 unanswered points to fall behind, 18-14 before a Carter jumper ended the drought with 1:11 left to play in the quarter and left the Rams trailing, 16-18. Neither team would manage to score as they took the two-point deficit into the locker room at halftime.

The WSSU struggles continued in the third quarter, but the Rams surged late to show some signs of life. The Rams were able to only record one field goal in the first eight minutes of the quarter to fall behind, 20-27 before a Boyd jumper with 2:28 left ended the skid. The Rams would fall behind by as many as seven points and ended the quarter trailing, 31-24.

It was in the fourth quarter that the Rams really stepped up to the challenge. The team scored 28 fourth quarter points to claim the victory. After falling behind, 26-35 with 8:02 left to play, the Rams exploded for a 15-2 run that left the team on top, 41-37 following an Edwards lay-up with 4:09 left to play. The team benefitted from some clutch free throw shooting during the run as the Rams went seven-for-nine from the free throw line during the run. Once in control, the Rams combined some tough defense with some clutch free throws to key the win. In the final seconds, Fayetteville State cut the WSSU lead down to as few as three points, 50-47 with 00:25 left to play. However, senior guard Taelor Mandeville hit a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left to play and sealed the WSSU victory.

With the win, the Rams improve to 9-9 overall and a 5-3 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The Rams will return to action, Wednesday when the team heads to Charlotte, N.C. to take on the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls. 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.