BALTIMORE – Jaylen Alston recorded 16 points, 11 rebounds and four steals to lead No. 5 Winston-Salem State to a 60-52 victory over No. 4 Claflin in the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals at CFG Bank Arena on Thursday.

The Rams (19-8 overall) will have a short time to celebrate the victory. They face top seed Virginia Union on Friday at 2:00 pm in the semifinals.

Alston, the Food Lion Game MVP, led four Rams in double figures. Jaylon Gibson and Isaac Parson both scored 12 points and Samage Teel came off the bench to score 11 for WSSU. Alston helped the Rams dominate the backboards as they outrebounded the Panthers 39-27 which led to a 11-3 edge in second chance points. WSSU also had its way inside the paint, outscoring Claflin 36-24.

Ahead 25-23 at the half, the Rams extended their lead which held up through the final buzzer. Their lead was never more than nine but was enough to hold off the Panthers, who ended their season at 19-7 overall.

Claflin relied on its bench to stay in striking distance. DaiJohn Stewart scored 17 points and Shyim Cunningham added 14 points as the Panthers outscored the Rams 37-15 in bench points.