Rams Win Close Decision Over Livingstone 79-78

Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams defeated the visiting Livingstone College Blue Bears on Saturday evening 79-78, giving a capacity crowd of over 3300 in the CE Gaines Center their money's worth as they battled from as far behind as ten points to secure their second CIAA league victory and improve to 6-8 overall.

The Rams trailed for the majority of the first half as they fell victim to yet another competitor shooting well against them. The Blue Bears shot nearly 60% in the first half on 14-25 shooting from the field as the Rams shot only 43.8% from the floor and fell behind early.

It was once again the Ram defense that would help WSSU stay in control of the game as they forced eleven first-half turnovers and used their transition game to help generate much-needed easy buckets. The first half would come to a close with the two teams knotted at 36-36.

The second half was much the same as the Rams fell behind early only to regain the lead and increase the Ram lead to as many as eleven late in the second half before the Blue Bears would put on a comeback for the ages and force the Rams to play mistake-free defense and hit their free-throws to preserve the victory.

To the Blue Bears credit, they never gave up in the contest, even when the Ram lead late in the game seemed to be insurmountable.

However, the Ram defense, and fundamentally sound free-throw shooting helped the Rams to hold on and improve to 6-8 overall, and 2-2 in the CIAA.

The Rams were paced by three players in double figures, as Jay Maynard once again showed his leadership as he chipped in with 19 points. Not far behind were senior Juston White with 16 points and freshman sensation Alleggrie Guinn with 15.

Leading all scorers and paving the way for Livingstone's success in the game was Jerome Lagrance who tallied an impressive 32 points on 12 for 19 shooting.

The Rams return to action on Monday as the play host to Columbia Union at 7:30 pm in the CE Gaines Center.