Dec. 1, 2007

Sumter, SC - The Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams earned impressive wins over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rivals North Carolina A&T and South Carolina State University at the Shaw Air Force Base Lanes in day one action from the South Carolina State University Lady Bulldogs Bowling Invitational.

The Lady Rams opened Saturday's action with a 776-660 loss to the Norfolk State University Spartans as Winston-Salem State University fell to 0-1 on the day.

It would get no easier for the Lady Rams as Bethune-Cookman narrowly edged WSSU in the second match of the day by the score of 776-644 to drop the Lady Rams to 0-2 on the day.

Head coach Michael Jackson's young Lady Rams squad immediately responded with the poise of a seasoned team as they earned a hard-fought match victory over the host-team Lady Bulldogs by the score of 649-645.

"We fought hard to get our first win of the day as it came down to a pinfall of only four pins.  We were motivated by that victory and used the momentum to carry us to the biggest win of the day over the Aggies" head bowling coach Michael Jackson said via phone on Saturday.

WSSU fell in defeat in the fourth match of the day as they could not hang on to an early lead and dropped a 744-633 decision to the Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M University.

Despite carrying a 1-3 record into the day's final match, the Lady Rams were able to use the motivation of a long-standing rivalry with North Carolina A&T to propel WSSU to a win over their Greensboro-based neighbor.

Led by Allison White's (Fairmont, NC) match-high 172 the Lady Rams easily edged their fiercest of rivals by the score of 738-680 to finish day-one competition with a 2-3 overall record.

"We really had our hearts set on this rivalry.  We knew we would face the Aggies and our whole team was ready and motivated and all of these young ladies stepped up and bowled well and we earned a big win" Jackson said.

The Lady Rams return to action on Sunday morning at 10:00 am as they participate in the second and final day of the South Carolina State University Lady Bulldogs Bowling Invitational.

For additional information on WSSU women's bowling, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Mediate Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.

WSSU Match Results:

WSSU 660, Norfolk State 776 (0-1)

WSSU 644, Bethune-Cookman 776 (0-2)

WSSU 649, South Carolina State 645 (1-2)

WSSU 633, Florida A&M 744 (1-3)

WSSU 738, North Carolina A&T 680 (2-3)