WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (13-12, 9-6 CIAA) came up short in 76-60 loss to the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls (19-6, 12-3 CIAA) in a key Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division game, Wednesday evening. The Rams gave a solid effort, but turnovers and an aggressive JCSU offensive attack proved to be too much to overcome in the tough loss.

As a team, the Rams had a solid outing, but the team faltered in a few key areas. The Rams shot 35.6% (21-of-59) from the floor, but the team could not stop an overpowering attack by the Golden Bulls who shot a scorching hot 57.4% (27-of-47) from the floor. The Rams were plagued by turnovers in the game with the team committing 29 turnovers in the loss. WSSU senior forward Trei Torain led the way for the Rams with 14 points in the game. She also added a block. Fellow senior forward Jasmine Carter added a double-double 12 points and a team-high 13 rebounds off the bench.

The Rams started the game on a high note, but turnovers and some quick scoring by the Golden Bulls left the Rams struggling to keep up in the first half. In the early going, it was the Rams who controlled the game, jumping out to a 7-4 lead after a lay-up from senior guard Jazmyn Saunders with 7:12 left in the first quarter. Though JCSU would tie the game, a Torain three-pointer kept the Rams on top, 10-7 with 6:05 left in the quarter. The Rams allowed eight straight points to the Golden Bulls to fall behind, 10-15 with 4:05 left in the quarter. The Rams were able to cut their deficit down to just one point, 15-14 after a four straight points, capped by a jumper from freshman guard Taniya Dunn with 3:00 left to play. Unfortunately, the Rams would not score again in the quarter and finished the quarter, trailing, 20-14.

The second quarter saw the struggles continue for the Rams. The team managed just two field goals in the first six minutes of the quarter as the team fell behind, 32-20 before a lay-up from freshman guard Aja Stevens snapped the drought for the Rams with 3:23 left in the half. Dunn would cap the first half scoring for the Rams when she hit a layup with 00:56 left in the half that left the Rams trailing, 36-25. From there, the Rams allowed a pair of lay-ups to the Golden Bulls to take a 40-25 deficit into the locker room at halftime.

The Rams had a much improved effort in the third quarter, but it was not quite enough as the Rams outscored the Golden Bulls, 19-17. The Rams really clamped down on defense, holding JCSU without a field goal for the first two minutes of the quarter and cut their deficit down to 13 points after a jumper from Carter with 7:58 left in the quarter left the Rams trailing, 44-31. Things got tough for the Rams when the team allowed JCSU to go on a 9-2 run that left the team trailing, 53-33 with 5:16 left in the quarter. The Rams were able to make a run late in the quarter as a free throw from junior forward Briana Arnold capped an 11-2 run by the Rams that cut their deficit down to 11 points, 55-44 with 00:27 left in the third quarter. However, a JCSU lay-up in the final seconds left the Rams trailing, 57-44 at the end of the third quarter.

Unfortunately, while the third quarter belonged to the Rams, the fourth quarter belonged to the Golden Bulls. The Rams were slow to open the quarter as the team allowed JCSU to go on a 6-2 run before a lay-up from Arnold with 6:26 left, the Rams trailed, 63-48. After allowing nine more unanswered points to the Golden Bulls, the Rams trailed 71-48 before a three-pointer from Dunn left the Rams trailing, 71-51 with 3:13 left to play. Torain added a lay-up to cut the WSSU deficit down to 18 points, 71-53 with 2:43 left to play. The Rams would make a late 7-1 run in the final seconds, but the Rams would not be able to pull off the comeback effort and ended the day with the 76-60 loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 13-12 overall and 9-6 in CIAA play. Most importantly, the Rams fall into second place in the CIAA Southern Division and have missed out on the division championship. The Rams will close out the regular season, Saturday when the team heads to nearby Salisbury, N.C. to take on the Livingstone Lady Blue Bears.

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.