RALEIGH, NC --The Saint Augustine's women's basketball team got a 20-point showing from the bench on the way to a 56-50 victory against the Winston-Salem Rams at home Wednesday.
The Falcons (11-10, 5-8) had two players score in double figures, led by Lauren Banks, who had 18 points and five steals. Janiya Reed tacked on 13 points from the bench and Joscelyn Meyers added eight points, five assists and four steals.
Led by Taniyah Greene's two offensive rebounds, Saint Augustine's did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in six second chance points.
Saint Augustine's defense held Winston-Salem to only 39.6 percent shooting from the field, including 30 percent from beyond the arc.
How It Happened
After falling behind 12-8, Saint Augustine's went on a 7-0 run with 2:36 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Reed, to take a 15-12 lead. The Falcons then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 15-14 advantage. Saint Augustine's capitalized on 11 Winston-Salem turnovers in the period, turning them into nine points on the other end of the floor.
The Falcons used the second period to increase their lead and entered halftime with a 29-23 edge. Saint Augustine's dominated in the paint, scoring eight of its 14 points close to the basket.
Saint Augustine's continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Ashlyn Mesidor, to expand its lead further to 40-28 with 4:03 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Rams had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Falcons still entered the fourth quarter with a 44-38 edge. Saint Augustine's played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 15 points in the paint.
Saint Augustine's kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Banks' three, to grow the lead to 56-50 with 1:16 to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Saint Augustine's fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 12 points.
Game Notes
» The Falcons held the Rams to only 39.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The Falcons never trailed after taking a 15-14 first quarter lead.
» The Saint Augustine's bench made an impact by scoring 20 points to its scoring output.
» The Saint Augustine's defense forced 28 turnovers.
» Saint Augustine's cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Lauren Banks led the Falcons with a game-high 18 points.
» Saint Augustine's got a game-high eight rebounds from Taniyah Greene.
Up Next
The Falcons hit the road for their next three in a row starting with visiting Johnson C. Smith on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 2:00pm.
