Kwanza Murray (Summerville, S.C./Summerville (Lackawanna College)) was impressive in her Lincoln women's basketball debut, breaking the school record for three point field goals in a game and scoring 24 points but the Lions offense sputtered in the fourth quarter as Winston-Salem State University pulled away for an 80-72 win Saturday afternoon at Manuel Rivero Hall.
 
The loss drops the Lions record to 4-7 overall and 0-2 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) games.  The Rams improve to 4-5 overall and 1-0 in league play.
 
Murray connected on six three point shots (in eight attempts) to break the school record of five held by four different players and last equaled by teammate DeeDee Irwin (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) last season.  The junior transfer from Lackawanna College finished the game with 24 points (9-16 FG) and added seven rebounds and one assist to lead the Lions.
 
Deja Reynolds (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter (Temple)) joined Murray as the two Lions players reaching double figure scoring with 13 points.  She also dished out a game-high five assists.  Kenzie Spencer (Richmond, Va./Henrico) grabbed ten rebounds and had two blocks to pace LU's defense.  Shakira Edwards (Newark, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) also had two blocks on the afternoon.
 
The Rams placed four players in double figures led by Amaya Tucker's 21 points. Brionna Pate had 17 points and 15 rebounds while Teara Johnson chipped in 16 points.  Nyona Shields added 11.
 
Lincoln held a slim 60-58 lead heading into the final quarter and pushed the lead to 64-60 before the Rams ran off nine straight points to take a 69-64 lead with 5:56 left in the quarter.  The Lions turned the ball over on their next four possessions but were also able to hold the Rams scoreless each time.  Reynolds' layup at the 3:23 mark broke a four minute scoring drought and pulled the Lions within three 69-66.  Reynolds added a free throw 28 seconds later to close the gap to two at 69-67 before the Rams used a 7-2 run to push the lead to seven 76-69 with just under a minute remaining.  Five of the seven points came from the free throw line.
 
Murray's record breaking sixth three-ball with 45 seconds left closed the gap to four 76-72 but that was Lincoln's final points of the game and the Rams closed it out with four free throws in the final 33 seconds.  WSSU was 9-for-12 from the free throw line in the final period while the Lions connected on just one of eight shots from the charity stripe.
 
Shooting wise, both teams shot about the same with the Rams making 40% (26-65) from the field and the Lions 39.4% (28-71).  Lincoln made on more three-point basket than Winston-Salem but the Rams were more efficient from long range, making 56.3% (9-16) of their three-point shots (LU 10-24, 41.7%).  Free throws proved to be a factor as the Lions shot just 35.7% from the line (6-17) while the Rams made 19 of 30 (63.3%).  WSSU dominated the glass, outrebounding Lincoln 52-43 while the Lions had four fewer turnovers than the Rams (18-22) and took advantage of their opponent's miscues scoring 23 points off the Rams' turnovers.
 
The women's basketball team returns to action on Monday, December 17, 2018 when they host Livingstone College for their third CIAA game of the season.  Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.