SALISBURY, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (13-13, 9-7 CIAA) could not find the answers when the team took a 92-79 road loss to the Livingstone Lady Blue Bears (13-12, 9-7 CIAA), Saturday afternoon. There was no shortage of effort for the Rams in the tough loss, especially in the second half, but the team was outgunned by the aggressive, uptempo play of the Lady Blue Bears.

The Rams took the loss in spite of a strong offensive showing. The Rams scored 79 points in the game, one point shy of tying their season-high in points scored. However, the team could not stop a scorching hot Livingstone team that scored 92 points against one of the top defensive teams in the nation. As a team, the Rams shot 37.8% (28-of-74) from the floor, but allowed Livingstone to shoot a scorching hot 40.0% (26-of-65).  WSSU senior forward Jasmine Carter led the way for the Rams with a double-double 18 points and 11 rebounds in the game while junior guard Tiana Edwards added 15 points. Junior center Kandace Tate added another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds as well.

Things looked good early on for the Rams, but the team soon had to fend off a first quarter surge by the Lady Blue Bears that set they could never overcome. The Rams kept things close early as a three-pointer from Edwards with 5:00 left in the quarter kept the Rams within one point, 13-12. It was then that Livingstone mounted a 14-2 run that left the Rams trailing, 26-15 with 00:20 left in the first quarter. A free throw from freshman guard Jahlia Williams pulled the Rams to within 10 points, 26-16 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was a different story as it saw the Rams making a run to cut down their deficit. The Rams allowed 12 straight points to the Lady Blue Bears to fall behind, 38-18 with 6:24 left. The Rams had an answer when the team scored nine straight points, capped by a three-point play from freshman guard Aja Stevens with 4:39 left in the quarter. After falling behind by as many as 16 points, 48-32, with 1:05 left to play, the Rams clamped down on defense to hold the Lady Blue Bears without a score for the remainder of the quarter and took a 48-35 deficit into the locker room at halftime.

The Rams were able to make a big run in the third quarter with 25 points, but fouls and turnovers continued to plague the team as they allowed 23 points to the Lady Blue Bears. The Rams were able to cut their deficit down to just six points after a three-pointer from Carter with 4:00 left in the third quarter left the score 57-51. After falling behind by 11 points, 64-53 with 2:29 left, the Rams mounted another run with five straight points, capped by a lay-up from junior forward Briana Arnold and left the Rams down by six points, 64-58 with 1:24 left in the quarter. Unfortunately, Livingstone had an answer when they ended the quarter with a 7-2 run that left the Rams trailing, 71-60 at the end of the quarter.

The Rams continued to push in the fourth quarter, but the Rams could not quite get over the hump as the team ended the quarter on a down note. The Rams opened the quarter on a high note with five straight points, including a lay-up from Tate and a Carter three-pointer that pulled the Rams to within five points, 71-65 with 8:03 left to play. Unfortunately, the Rams allowed nine straight points to the Lady Blue Bears to fall behind, 80-65 with 6:09 left to play. After falling into a 22-point deficit, 89-67, the Rams soon made a stand late. The Rams closed the game on a 12-2 run, but the effort was not enough as the Rams could not pull off the comeback effort, falling 92-79.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 13-13 overall and 9-7 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team also falls into a three-way tie for third place in the CIAA Southern Division at 6-4 along with host Livingstone and the Shaw Lady Bears. The Rams will await seeding for next week's CIAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.

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.