Jan. 12, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University women's bowling team, riding a "home lane advantage," posted a 1-4 record at the inaugural WSSU Lady Rams' Bowling Challenge held at Winston-Salem AMF Bowling Center in Winston-Salem, NC on Saturday, earning an impressive victory over rival North Carolina A&T in the process.

The Lady Rams opened the morning's action with an 869-615 loss to the Norfolk State University Spartans as head coach Michael Jackson's team had difficulty picking up spares in the early-going.

Winston-Salem State University wasted no time in turning things around in the second match of the day as they battled the Florida A&M University Rattlers, one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's best teams, to the bitter end before dropping a 16-point decision by the score of 774-758.  The total pinfall of 758 would prove to be the Lady Rams' largest total of the day.

South Carolina State University would prove to be too much for WSSU in the third match of the afternoon as the Lady Bulldogs defeated the host Lady Rams 781-643 to drop WSSU to 0-3 on the afternoon.

The fourth match of the day would prove to be the brightest spot on an impressive first day of competition as the Lady Rams earned their lone victory of the day over their most bitter rival, the North Carolina A&T Aggies.

Behind a strong team effort the Lady Rams recorded nearly 100 more pins than the Aggies as they cruised to a 96-pin victory by the score of 752-656.

The final match of the day saw the Lady Rams drop a 793-615 decision to a very tough Bethune-Cookman University team as the Wildcats defeated WSSU by 178 pins and closed the afternoon with a 1-4 overall record.

Michael Jackson's Lady Rams hit their marks and fell victim to unlucky pinfalls on the day as a complete team performance, perhaps their best output of the season to date, earned the Lady Rams a 1-4 overall mark.

"Our team is improving by the minute.  The long break [over the holidays] set us back a bit, but I am impressed and more than pleased by my team's performance here today" WSSU head coach Michael Jackson said following Saturday's action.

The Lady Rams return to the lanes on Sunday at 10:00 am from the Winston-Salem AMF Bowling Center located at 811 Jonestown Road in Winston-Salem as they close out play from the inaugural WSSU Lady Rams' Bowling Challenge.

For additional information on WSSU women's bowling, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909, (336) 750-2143, or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.

Day One Results:

Matchup                                               Result             

WSSU vs. Norfolk State                       L (869-615)

WSSU vs. Florida A&M                        L (774-758)

WSSU vs. South Carolina State           L (781-643)

WSSU vs. North Carolina A&T             W (752-656)

WSSU vs. Bethune-Cookman              L (793-615)