WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (12-10, 8-4 CIAA) clicked on all cylinders when the team took a 57-51 win over the Saint Augustine's Falcons (3-21, 0-12 CIAA), Saturday afternoon. The Rams benefitted from some timely defense and a strong late run to secure their second straight win and their seventh win in the last eight games.

The Rams utilized some staunch defense to counteract some offensive struggles to claim the win. As a team, the Rams were held to 31.7% (20-of-63) shooting in the game and allowed Saint Augustine's to shoot 36.4% (16-of-44) from the floor. WSSU junior forward Briana Arnold led the way for the Rams with 14 points off the bench. Junior center Kandace Tate added 13 points with five rebounds. Senior center Taylor Boyd led the Rams' rebounding effort with 10 in the game.

The Rams and the Falcons had a great back-and-forth battle early with both teams looking to get off to a fast start in the game. Senior guard Taelor Mandeville capped a strong start for the Rams when she hit a three-pointer that put the Rams on top, 10-4 with 4:27 left in the first quarter. Though Saint Augustine's would make a run and cut the Rams' lead down to just one point, 11-10 with  1:51 left in the first quarter, but the Rams would end the quarter strong when an Arnold jumper with 1:08 left in the quarter left the Rams on top, 13-10 to end the quarter.

The Rams soon found themselves in a battle when the team was outscored 14-13 in the second quarter. The Rams allowed five straight points to the Falcons to open the second quarter and fell behind for the first time in the game, 13-15 with 9:37 left in the second quarter. The Rams regained the lead with four straight points to go ahead, 19-17 after a pair of free throws from senior forward Trei Torain with 6:23 left in the quarter. The two teams carried their battle into the final minutes before freshman guard Taniya Dunn hit a free throw, followed by an Arnold jumper that kept the Rams on top, 26-24 with seven seconds left and the team took its lead into the locker room at halftime.

Unfortunately, the third quarter belonged to the Falcons as the Rams were outscored 16-9 and ended the quarter trailing the Falcons. After pushing their lead to five points, 30-25 following a Tate layup, the Rams allowed nine unanswered points to the Falcons and fell behind, 30-34 with 4:52 left in the quarter. It was an Arnold jumper that broke the drought for the Rams with 4:14 left in the quarter. A Tate three-point play would pull the Rams to within a point of the Falcons, 35-36 with 2:21 left to play. However, the Rams ended the quarter on a down note when SAU scored back-to-back lay-ups in the final seconds to leave the Rams trailing, 35-40 at the end of the quarter.

While the third quarter belonged to Saint Augustine's, the fourth quarter belonged to the Rams, who outscored their opponents, 22-11 to claim the victory. The Rams opened things up with a 7-2 run and took the lead, 42-41, on a three-point play by senior forward Jasmine Carter with 7:49 left to play. The freshman duo of Taniya Dunn and guard Jahlia Williams both hit lay-ups that left the Rams on top, 46-43 with 4:37 left to play. The Rams took control at the free throw line when the team mounted a 10-2 run that included eight free throws, capped by two from Arnold that left the Rams on top, 56-47 with 1:41 left to play. Junior guard Tiana Edwards would put the icing on the cake with a free throw with 1:15 left to play while holding the Falcons to just a pair of free throws to seal the 57-51 victory. 

With the win, the Rams improve to 12-10 overall and 8-4 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. More importantly, the Rams improve to 5-1 in the CIAA Southern Division. The Rams will return to action, Wednesday when the team heads to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the Shaw Lady 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.