WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State University Rams (16-10, 13-3 CIAA) claimed a share of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division Championship when they took an 82-76 overtime win over the Livingstone Blue Bears (12-16, 5-12 CIAA), Saturday afternoon. The Rams staged a late comeback to tie the game and carried the energy into overtime to claim the win.

The Rams took the win behind one of their toughest performances of the season. As a team, the Rams shot 40.3% (27-of-67) from the floor. WSSU sophomore guard Jaylen Alston led the way for the Rams with 23 points in the game. Senior guard Julius Barnes added 15 points while sophomore Jonathan Hicklin added 12 points and junior guard Justice Kithcart added 10 points.

The game was an exciting one from the opening tip-off with neither team managing to go ahead by more than two points for the first 10 minutes of play. As the half went on, the Rams allowed the Blue Bears to take a 34-24 lead in the final minutes of the half before a Kithcart lay-up with a second left to play gave the Rams a 36-28 deficit at the half.

The second half was where the real excitement was as the Rams staged a thrilling comeback effort to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Rams opened the half by shutting down the LC offense and scoring 12 unanswered points. When Alston hit a pair of free throws with 14:27 left in the half, the Rams stood with a 40-36 lead over the Blue Bears. From there, the Rams continued their strong play to hold on to their lead, 55-50 after a Barnes lay-up with 6:12 left in regulation. From there, the Rams held on to their lead until the final minute of the game when the team allowed the Blue Bears to reclaim the lead, 63-62 with 00:58 left in regulation. Later in the final minute of play, the Rams trailed the Blue Bears, 66-64 until an Alston lay-up with 11 seconds left in regulation tied the game, 66-66. From there, the Rams turned to their defense to close regulation play and sent the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, the Rams came out with a hot start and never looked back. A Hicklin three-pointer gave the Rams a 69-66 lead with 4:11 left to play and the team never looked back. The Rams did have a scare as they allowed the Blue Bears to tie the game, 70-70, with 3:02 left to play. However, another Alston lay-up with 2:48 left kept the Rams on top, 72-70. The Rams held their lead 75-74 after a Blue Bear three-pointer with 00:38 left to play. From there, the team maintained its composure to fend off a tenacious LC effort. In the final 38 seconds of play, the Rams allowed just one more score by the Blue Bears while hitting eight clutch free throws to claim the win.

With the win, the Rams finish the regular season with a 16-10 overall record and a 13-4 record in CIAA play. With their effort, the Rams claim a share of the CIAA Southern Division Championship. The Rams will await seeding for the upcoming CIAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. For more information on Rams men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.