Jan. 26, 2007

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Any questions about the Lady Rams' place in NCAA Division I were answered Friday night when the Winston-Salem State took Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest to the wire battling to the very end of an 82-66 overtime loss as the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Though the team fought tooth and nail for the entire contest, they ran out of gas in the extra session to end the day with the loss. After battling cross-town rival Wake Forest to a 65-65 tie in regulation, the team went without a field goal in overtime and was outscored 17-1 to take the loss.

Simply put, the team played their best game of the season tying their second highest point-total of the season with 66 points and tying the Demon Deacons with 44 rebounds in the contest. The squad shot 32.9% from the field and shot 68% from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Lavontay Johnson was one of the team's many heroes with a team-high 16 points, tying a career-high with three three-pointers in the game. Senior center Shalonda Carter added a double-double 11 points and 11 rebounds that went along with four blocked shots in the game. Senior guard Kadina Baldwin added 12 points, two assists and a steal in the game as well. Though the team's statistics were all strong, it was the team's strong clutch play that told the story of the contest.

The Lady Rams battle from the very beginning of the contest challenging the much larger Demon Deacons at every turn. It was solid defensive play early that got things going for the Lady Rams as the team allowed just one Wake Forest field goal in the first three minutes of the game and jumped out to a 6-2 lead early on. It was Johnson who got things started for the Lady Rams hitting a pair of three pointers to open the game and gave WSSU itss early lead. Though Wake Forest would settle down and score a pair of baskets of their own, the Lady Rams were able to stay on top with sophomore guard Keoshia Worthy hitting a jumper with just over 13 minutes left to play extended the Lady Rams' lead 12-6. As expected, the Lady Rams' ACC competition would battle back in a big way, however, holding Winston-Salem State scoreless over the next five minutes reclaiming the lead 16-12. By the time senior guard Latoya Armstrong hit a jumper just outside the lane, the Lady Rams found themselves trailing, 16-14 with 7:16 left in the half. It was Johnson who would answer the call for the Lady Rams hitting her third three-pointer of the half and pulling the Lady Rams to within one point, 18-17 with 5:18 left in the half.

In the final stretch of the half, the Lady Rams would mount a of their own scoring four unanswered points and reclaiming the lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. The team's senior trio of guard Kadina Baldwin, guard Latoya Armstrong, and center Shalonda Carter would all figure in the run with Baldwin hitting a lay-up, followed by an emphatic block by Carter that led to an Armstrong lay-up that put the Lady Rams back on top, 21-18 in the final minutes of the half. Still, Wake Forest would answer, tying the game in the final minute and taking the lead on a lay-up at the buzzer that left the Lady Rams trailing 25-23 at the half.

Though the second half began much like the first half, things would soon change for the Lady Rams. Baldwin was able to erase the Wake Forest lead early in the half hitting a runner in the lane during the 18th minute of the half. She would do the same a minute later answering a Demon Deacon basket, but it was then that things got tough for the Lady Rams. Wake Forest would mount a 10-0 run and retook control of the contest, 37-27 with 14:53 left in regulation and retaking control of the game. As with the rest of the contest, it was defense that keyed the run shutting down the WSSU offense once again, not allowing a WSSU field goal in the run. Once again, the Lady Rams were able turned up their own defensive intensity and clawed their way back into the game forcing Wake Forest turnovers on their next four possessions and scoring seven unanswered points. It was Johnson who lead the way scoring five answered points including hitting three straight free throws and scoring a tough lay-up that cut the WSSU deficit to just five points, 46-41 with just over 10 minutes left to play. Carter would continue the WSSU charge pulling the Lady Rams to within one point with a lay-up with just under seven minutes left to play, 49-48. She then repeated the act just a minute later to put the Lady Rams back on top, 51-50 with 6:16 left in the game. It was a tough defensive stand that keyed the Winston-Salem State lead as the team forced turnovers and fouls on three straight Wake Forest possessions and hit five free throws to grab a lead of their own, 55-51 with 5:11 left to play.  Still, the home team continued to fight tying the game once again, 55-55 with just over four minutes left in regulation on a pair of free throws and a jumper that tied the game once again.

The game's final minutes were as intense as the rest of the game with sophomore guard Akebia Williams hitting a three-pointer that put the team ahead 57-55. Williams added another three points just a few seconds later with a lay-up and free throw that put the Lady Rams ahead 60-58 with 2:04 left in regulation. The battle continued into the final minute of regulation with each team grabbing a lead in the final minute. It was Carter who put the Lady Rams ahead, hitting a lay-up with 00:49 on the clock that put the Lady Rams on top, 63-62, but was answered by a Wake Forest jumper that put the home team back into the lead, 64-63. The Demon Deacons would hit one of two free throws that could have put the game away and sophomore guard Keoshia Worthy made them pay for it, hitting a lay-up with 00:04 left on the clock that sent the game into overtime. The Lady Rams did force a Wake Forest turnover on the next possession and had a chance to win the game with 00:02 left in regulation, but suffered a turnover of their own at the buzzer.

Wake Forest dominated the overtime period allowing no WSSU field goals and outscoring the Lady Rams 17-1 in the extra period to walk away with the win. Though the Lady Rams ended the night with the loss, the team's message was received loud and clear. Wake Forest was the second ACC team that the Lady Rams battled close, falling to Virginia Tech by just 10 points, 43-33 earlier this season.

The Lady Rams will return to action next week when the team heads north to Annapolis, Maryland to take on the Navy Midshipmen. The game is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.