BALTIMORE - It wasn't the way the Winston-Salem women's basketball team wanted the season to end, but the Rams fought to the bitter end in a heartbreaking 70-66 loss to top-seeded Lincoln in the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament.  'SU kept the Royal Farms Arena fans on the edge of their seats in Baltimore in the game's final quarter.

Leading scorer and All-CIAA selection Amaya Tucker reinjured an injury sustained in the final 20 seconds of Tuesday's win over St. Augustine and was limited to three minutes of playing time after the opening tip. Kennedi Simmons, Brooke Spaulding, and O'Shae Hatley each scored 13 points for the Rams. Tyliah Burns connected on a trio of three-pointers and finished with 11 points.

Hatley grabbed seven rebounds.  Kendra Ross and Dajha Williams each had six.  Hatley shot 6-9 from the floor and 1-1 at the free-throw line.  Simmons was 4-5 and hit her only three-point attempt. Hailey Gipson led the Rams with four assists.

The Lions jumped to an early 11-point lead at the 3:29 mark in the first quarter.  'SU managed to come to within one point on several occasions in the second quarter and an 11-2 run allowed the Rams to pull even for the first time after three quarters.

The Rams fell nine points behind early in the fourth before a rally and a three-pointer by Burns tied the score at 48 with 7:43 to play.  WSSU's defense held CIAA Player of the Year Bryanna Brown to only four points through the first 30 minutes, but the fifth-year senior scored 16 points in the final eight minutes.  The Lions hit seven of eight free throws in the closing minutes to seal the win.

WSSU shot 39.4% for the game and scored one more field than Lincoln.  Both teams hit five baskets from beyond the arc.  The Lions were 15-21 from the free-throw line while the Rams were 9-12.

'SU led in second-chance points, 12-8, but Lincoln capitalized on 25 Rams turnovers, scoring 18 points.  WSSU managed only five points from the Lions' 12 turnovers.  'SU's bench outscored Lincoln by 17 points.

The Rams finish the season at 12-12.