BALTIMORE- If there were any doubts about Winston-Salem State coming prepared to defend its CIAA title, Javonte Cooke made a statement in the Rams' 86-57 dismantling of St. Augustine's in the CIAA semifinals on Thursday night at Royal Farms Arena.

Cooke, who was named to the All-CIAA Team, kept the large group of Rams fans on their feet with a dazzling 31-point performance.  His shooting performance was nothing short of spectacular.  Cooke hit 10-13 shots from the floor, seven of nine from the three-point line, and connected on 4 of 5 at the free-throw line. He also led the Rams in rebounding with all eight collected on defense.

Samage Teel was also on fire from the floor, connecting on 5-8 from the floor and 2-4 from beyond the arc for 13 points.  Fellow All-CIAA teammate Cameron Campbell scored 11 points.  All-CIAA Rookie Team member Isaac Parson scored nine points and contributed nine assists.  Xavier Fennell added eight points and connected on both of his three-point shots.  Alexander Reed secured seven rebounds with six coming on defense.

WSSU, which had two close regular-season wins over the Falcons (3-points in Raleigh and 9 points in an overtime C.E. Gaines Center victory), bolted to a 37-26 halftime lead.  The Falcons never led in the game but kept it close for most of the first half.

Cooke, who had 17 first-half points, didn't miss a beat after halftime, adding 14 points to the scoreboard.  Teel erupted for 10 second-half points.

The Rams defense held St. Augustine's leading scorer and All-CIAA selection, Dhashon Dyson, to six points in each half. He entered the game averaging 18 points.  "Xavier is our best defender, and if you get points on Xavier, you're going to earn them," said Rams Coach Cleo Hill, Jr.  Dyson shot 4-15 from the floor.

Hill was obviously pleased with his team's performance.  "We played flawlessly," he noted.  "You can't ask for more.  It was more than a win.  It was very impressive to the coach."

'SU's shooting percentages for the game were blistering.  The Rams hit 29-47 from the floor for 61.7% and 12-18 from the three-point line for 66.7%.  They also connected on 16-22 at the free-throw line for 72.7%.  Perhaps the most impressive stat was assists.  WSSU had 22 assists on the 29 field goals.

WSSU plays Virginia Union in Friday night's semi-final.  The tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Royal Farms Arena.  You can listen to the game on WSNC 90.5 FM, online at wsncradio.org, or on the WSNC app.