Feb. 22, 2005
Winston-Salem, NC - The last meeting between the Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central and the Rams of Winston-Salem State University required two overtimes to decide a victor. The contest on Tuesday evening would not need the entire second half as NCCU cruised to what amounted to an easy win at the LJVM Coliseum as they handed the Lady Rams a 72-62 defeat.
The first half of play was one that both teams might want to forget about as the 2005 CIAA tournament looms ever closer as the Lady Eagles and Lady Rams combined to hit only 19 of 62 total field goal attempts.
The Lady Rams were on the losing end of a poor-shooting first 20 minutes as WSSU shot a chilly 26.7% from the field, connecting on eight of 30 shots from the field, en route to only 20 points at the halftime intermission.
On the other side of the ball, the Lady Eagles fared only percentage points better as they shot only 34.4% from the floor themselves, connecting on 11 of 32 shots from the floor.
However, it would be the Lady Eagles who would lead by eight points at the halftime intermission as they sat out in front of WSSU 28-20.
The inside presence of All-CIAA forward Cassie King would prove to be the difference in the game's first half as she recorded 10 points during the games' first 20 minutes.
Her Lady Ram couterpart, and 2003-04 CIAA Rookie of the Year, Shalonda Carter also had a strong half of play as she recorded eight points and eight rebounds.
The second half of play would again be unkind to the Lady Rams as the Lady Eagles extended their eight-point halftime lead, growing it to a game-high 18 points midway through the second half en route to what would become an easy victory over the Lady Rams who have now lost two straight contests.
The Lady Rams would be led by Shalonda Carter who finished the contest with 17 points and 12 rebounds as she led three Lady Rams in double figures. Kadina Baldwin and Nikki Eason chipped in with double-digit performances as well as they scored 11 and 16 points respectively.
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The Lady Eagles were led by Cassie King's 25 points and 10 rebounds as she once again helped to solidify her candidacy for CIAA Women's Player of the Year.
With the loss, the Lady Rams fall to 12-14 overall and drop to 4-11 in the CIAA (3-7 CIAA West). The Lady Eagles improve to 14-12 overall and 10-5 in the CIAA with the win (7-2 CIAA West).
WSSU will return to action on Thursday, February 24th, 2005 at 5:30 PM when they travel to Lawrenceville, VA to face Saint Paul's College in the final regular season game of the year.
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
