Jan. 6, 2005
Elizabeth City, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams basketball team broke a two-game losing streak on Thursday evening in Elizabeth City, NC as they handed the Lady Vikings of Elizabeth City State University a 70-61 defeat at the R.L Vaughan Center to improve to 9-4 overall and earn their first CIAA league victory of the season in the process, improving to 1-1 in the conference.
The visiting Lady Rams showed the poise of a veteran team as they rebounded from a two-game skid with the win in a contest played nearly six hours away from the friendly confines of the C.E. Gaines Center and Winston-Salem, NC.
WSSU got off to a rocky start as the Lady Vikings came out of the locker room flying to start the game as the home team used a 5-0 run over the game's first 40 seconds of play to jump out to an early five-point lead.
However, the Lady Rams quickly recovered and used a 6-0 run of their own to take the lead, one that they would never relinquish, en route to the 70-61 win, one that evened WSSU's CIAA record to 1-1.
Intense defensive pressure and excellent offensive execution enabled the Lady Rams to continue to add to their lead throughout the remainder of the first half of play as WSSU was able to push their cushion to a half-high of 13 points with 2:35 remaining. WSSU would allow ECSU to trim the lead to 10-points, one that the Lady Rams gladly took to the locker room for the halftime intermission.
The second half of play was nearly a mirror image of the first as the Lady Rams fell victim to an early ECSU run before once again regaining their composure and adding to their lead.
WSSU was able to push their lead to a game-high 18 points exactly eight minutes into the second half and were firmly in control of a game that the Lady Vikings could only watch slip away.
To Elizabeth City State's credit, the Lady Vikings used an aggressive effort to cut the Lady Rams' lead to single digits twice more in the half before late-game free throws put the contest on ice and secured WSSU's ninth win of the 2004-05 season.
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Leading the way for the Lady Rams was Shalonda Carter who led four WSSU players in double-figures with 17 points. Carter was also able to pull down a game-high 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and 12th of her WSSU career.
Joining Carter in double figures was Kadina Baldwin with 14 points and six assists, and the duo of Nikki Eason and Janet Robinson with 11 points each.
ECSU was led by Sha-Tesia Sharpe who tallied 15 points and recorded a pair of rebounds in a losing effort.
WSSU improves to 9-4 overall (1-1 CIAA) with the win while ECSU falls to 3-6 overall (0-1 CIAA) with the loss.
The Lady Rams will have a five-day layoff before returning to action next Tuesday as they will travel to Raleigh, NC to face the St. Augustine's College Lady Falcons in their first CIAA Western Division contest of the season. Game time is slated for 5:30 pm.
For additional information on WSSU Women's Basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com
