CHARLOTTE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (10-9, 5-3 CIAA) benefitted from a hot start and some clutch play in the final seconds to claim a 58-56 win road win over the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls (14-5, 7-2 CIAA), Wednesday evening in a showdown between the two top teams in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division. After holding the Lady Golden Bulls to a slow start to the game, WSSU senior forward Jasmine Carter nailed a pair of huge baskets in the final seconds to lead the team to its fifth straight win.

The Rams took the win behind one of their top overall performances of the season. As a team, the Rams shot 45.8% (22-of-48) from the floor while holding Johnson C. Smith to shooting just 24.6% (16-of-65) in the game. The Rams dominated the interior, outrebounding the Lady Golden Bulls 50-36 and scoring 30 points in the paint. WSSU junior forward Briana Arnold led the way for the Rams with 13 points in the game while senior forward Taylor Boyd added 12 points and Carter scored 10 points. Arnold and Carter both pulled in eight rebounds each to lead the team's rebounding effort.

The Rams took control of the game early, dominating most of the first quarter. Both teams found points hard to come by early as neither team scored until the 7:05 mark when senior guard Taelor Mandeville hit a lay-up to open the game. From there, the Rams continued their strong defensive effort, holding Johnson C. Smith to just one field goal for much of the quarter and taking a 10-2 lead after a pair of free throws from freshman guard Jahlia Williams with 1:06 left in the quarter. The final minute of the quarter saw a flurry of scores from the two teams as the Rams finished the quarter with a 13-8 lead.

The second quarter turned out to be a different story for the Rams as they allowed 20 second quarter points to the Lady Golden Bulls. Things looked good early for the Rams as a pair of Arnold free throws capped a 4-2 run by the Rams that pushed the team's lead to seven points 17-10 with 8:02 left in the quarter. The Rams kept their seven-point cushion midway through the quarter before a late drought. A pair of Boyd lay-ups were the only field goals that the Rams would manage for the final five minutes of the half as they allowed five points in the final 28 seconds of the half to take a 28-28 tie into the locker room at halftime.

The third quarter turned out to be a see-saw battle with momentum swinging to both sides of the court throughout the period. An Arnold jumper at the 4:44 mark gave the Rams a four-point lead 39-34, but the Rams then allowed nine unanswered points to the Lady Golden Bulls to fall behind, 39-42 with 2:47 left in the quarter. The Rams would tie the game once again after a three-point play from junior center Kandace Tate with 2:28 left tied the game, 42-42. From there, the Rams allowed three unanswered points to take a 42-45 deficit into the fourth quarter.

Though the first three quarters of the game were exciting, they were no match for the thrilling fourth quarter. The Rams got things started with a 6-2 run that included a pair of tip ins from Tate and Boyd respectively, and capped by a jumper from freshman guard Jahlia Williams with 6:53 left to play and put the Rams on top, 48-47. Johnson C. Smith would regain the lead, 52-50, before an Arnold three-pointer with 2:37 put the Rams back on top, 53-52. The one-point deficit would swing to both sides of the court before a JCSU three-pointer with 00:57 left to play set the stage for the game's dramatic finish. From there, Carter connected on a pair of lay-ups to seal the win. The first came at the 00:35 mark that tied the game, 56-56 while the final score came with just one second left to play. From there, the Rams benefitted from a JCSU turnover at the buzzer to claim the win.

The victory was a big one for the Rams as it marked the team's fifth straight win, a feat that had not been accomplished since the 2011-12 season. Ironically, current JCSU head coach Stephen Joyner, Jr. was the Rams' head coach at the time.

With the win, the Rams improve to 10-9 overall and 5-3 in CIAA play. More importantly, the team improves to 4-0 and into sole possession of first place in the CIAA Southern Division. The Rams will return to action, Saturday when the team hosts the Livingstone Lady Blue Bears in a 2:00 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.