SALISBURY, NC – Three weeks after a stunning loss on its home floor, WSSU returned the favor in a big way with a dominant win over Livingstone College ahead of the CIAA Tournament.
Winston-Salem State used an early lift from CIAA Player of The Year candidate Jaylen Alston to take an early lead and cruised to a relatively easy 77-57 win over Livingstone College. The 20-point win is the largest margin of victory since 2006. WSSU’s win is its 16th in the last 31 games in the series.
Alston had 21 points, hitting 6 of his 8 field goal attempts, and also grabbed 11 rebounds as he stole the show on the Blue Bears Senior Day. Three other Rams finished with double-figures, including Jeremy Dixon with 12 and Issac Parson and KC Shaw with 10 points each.
The teams traded the lead back-and-forth for much of the first half, with Livingstone taking a 30-27 lead on a 3-pointer by James Nipper with 3:45 remaining. WSSU finished the half on a 13-3 run that saw it take a 40-30 lead into halftime.
WSSU would maintain control of the game the rest of the way, going up by 18 with 12:13 remaining. Livingstone would cut the lead to 10 but could get no closer, ultimately dropping its third game in a row.
WSSU shot 50 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line. It also hit 78 percent of its free throw attempts.
Winston-Salem State improved to 19-8 overall, and a 13-5 mark in conference play. Both are the best marks in the CIAA, however it will likely be the third seed from the CIAA South in next week’s CIAA Tournament behind Fayetteville State and Claflin. WSSU split the regular season matchup with both teams, but both have a slightly better record within the division. Livingstone College falls to 12-15 on the season and 8-9 in conference play.