| Virginia State (7-5) vs. Winston-Salem State (4-4) |
| Date |
Thursday, January 6, 2022 |
| Time |
5:30 p.m. |
| Live Stream |
Live Stream |
| Location |
Winston Salem, NC |
| Social Media |
@VSUsports | @vsutrojans_1882 | @VSUTrojansWBB |
As the VSU women's basketball team moves to first in the conference, the squad looks to continue their dominance on Thursday, January 6 at Winston-Salem State University. The Trojans are coming off their third-straight victory after a hard fought battle against Claflin 48-44. Coach James Hill Jr.'s squad ranks nationally in an abundance of categories such as: 18th in steals (145), 26th in steals per game (12), 11th in turnover margin (8.70), 11th in forced turnovers (303) and 23rd in points allowed per game (54). VSU is also second in the conference in free throw percentage (70%), first in turnover margin (8.75), first in assist/turnover ratio (0.94) and first in assists (187).
Kaaliya Williams is currently ranked third in the conference in free throw percentage (80%), second in rebounding (94), fourth in points (156) and 10
th in steals (20).
Valerie Samuel leads the conference in assists (39) and holds the third spot in assist/turnover ratio (1.4). Samuel also ranks fifth in the conference in free throw percentage hitting 65% of her shots while accumulating 21 steals on the season, which ranked her sixth.
Natalia Leaks ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (43%), sixth in points per contest (14.1), second in assists (34) and 11
th in steals (19).
Sommer Blakemore currently ranks fifth in the conference in assists (36) and second in steals (30).
Last Time Out
- Natalia Leaks was the only player from both squads to score double-digits as the senior finished with 16 points along with a team-high eight rebounds with four assists and two steals on the afternoon.
- Valerie Samuel finished with a team-high five assists along with three steals.
- VSU did not allow one Panther to finish in double-digits as three of CU's players finished with a team-high eight points.
- VSU forced 26 turnovers and drew 19 fouls in the contest.
Scouting the Rams
The Rams enter the matchup on a cold streak losing their last four of five games but are 2-0 at home. Winston-Salem's last full month of basketball was November as three of their five matchups in December were cancelled. While VSU tops the conference in points allowed per game (54.3), WSSU ranks near the top of the conference in points per game (67.8). The Rams are the best free throw shooting team in the CIAA knocking down 73.8% of their shots from the foul line. The Rams are also the conference leaders in defensive rebounds per game with 28.6. WSSU ranks within the top-four in the conference in assist/turnover ratio as well (0.65). Amaya Tucker is one of the CIAA's most prolific scorer's as 16.4 points per game puts her at second in the conference. While leading her team in scoring Tucker is also one of the most efficient players in the conference ranking third in field goal percentage (43%), fourth in free throw percentage (74%) and tied for fourth in made three-pointers per game (1.9). Brooke Spaulding has played the most minutes per game of any player in conference (33.8) while scoring 11 points per game. Kendra Ross owns the paint most games averaging 7.6 rebounds per contest.
Series History
The Trojans are 6-7 against the Rams. VSU lost the previous matchup 68-57 despite holding the Rams to under 40% from the field and under 25% from the three-point line.
Natalia Leaks led the team with 14 points on 4-of-7 shootng.from the field..
A Win Would…
- Give the Trojans their fourth win a row
- Give the squad their first away victory of the season
- Give VSU their first victory of the New Year
- Allow Trojans to stay undefeated in the conference
