Boxscore

RALEIGH, N.C. – Led by a career-high 15 points from sophomore guard Tyron Laughinghouse (Greenville, N.C.), Saint Augustine's College whittled away at a 19-point deficit late in the second half,  but Winston-Salem State prevailed 61-54 Monday in a CIAA men's basketball game at Emery Gymnasium.

The Rams (16-4, 9-3 CIAA, 4-1 Southern Division) led 58-39 with 2:53 remaining but Laughinghouse sparked a furious comeback by the Falcons (6-14, 4-7 CIAA, 1-4 Southern Division). He scored 13 points during a 15-3 run including a three-pointer with six seconds left for the final margin. Laughinghouse scored the final eight points for the Falcons.

Laughinghouse was the only double-figure scorer for the Falcons, who lost their fourth game in a row. Freshman guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) added nine points, and sophomore guard-forward Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) had eight rebounds for the Falcons. Paul Davis led the Rams with 20 points while Lamar Monger and Dominic Alston added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Falcons almost came away with the win despite a slow start. They shot 26 percent in the first half while the Rams made 50 percent of their shots to take control. A 33-21 Rams lead at halftime grew as high as 19 points in the second half before the Falcons started their run.

The Falcons forced four of the Rams' 20 turnovers in the last two minutes which keyed their rally. For the game, the Falcons scored 24 points off Rams' miscues and Laughinghouse led a Falcon bench which outscored the Rams' reserves 38-31. They even snatched more offensive rebounds (17-13) than the bigger Rams but couldn't overcome 31 percent shooting. The Rams also made the most of their offensive rebounds as they scored 17 second-chance points.

The Falcon will be on the road Thursday at Virginia State. Game time is 7:30 p.m.