Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) transfer point guard Christiana McLean has been a commanding force on the court this year.
The senior point guard transferred from D1 Marshall University while she was there she was named CUSA Academic All-Conference. McLean went to Heritage High School in Wake Forest, NC where she averaged 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game as a senior.
McLean joined the Rams in 2023, but did not play her first year due to knee issues. These knee issues only increased her tenacity on the court, by all accounts.
WSSU head coach L’Tona Lamonte says those knee issues are caused by her injury being bone on bone.
“She didn’t play that first year. Last year — bounced back, was trying to still adjust,” Lamonte said. “But she still had a lot of issues with her knee. She went at it with rehab and getting back on the court.”
McLean played 28 games last season — starting four — and averaging 12 minutes per game. She averaged three points per game, shot 40 percent from the field and hit 58 percent of her free throws.
Through five games this season she’s averaging a team-high 13.4 points.
“She’s doing a great job right now. You know, everything we’ve thrown at or she’s come in,” Lamonte said after the Barton loss. “She’s that leader for us. She’s vocal. You know she’s physical. She’s the number-one scorer for us right now. I think she might be our leading scorer as of today. So you know I’m very proud of her. She’s come in and done a great job.
McLean scored a career-high 27-points in the 64-56 loss to Barton. Despite her impressive game, she was more focused on talking about what the team needed to do to win.
“We kept fighting we were down by 20 points we got it down to five points,” McLean said of the team’s effort in the loss at home.
As the team continues to prepare for the rest of the season McLean says they will strive to work harder.
“We are going to keep trusting ourselves, getting in the gym and we can compete against anyone out there,” she said.
WSSU women’s basketball will be back in action away playing rival NC A&T on Thursday at 7:00 pm.
– Story by WSSU Intern Tia Greene