WINSTON-SALEM, NC — WSSU is an HBCU that has seen lots of amazing basketball seasons — but none like this from its women.
The WSSU women, now ranked No. 18 in the WBCA poll, rallied from a sluggish first half to defeat Livingstone and secure its 20th win of the season. That mark ties the 1996–1997, 1997–1998, and 2000–2001 teams — all coached by Debra Clark — for the most wins in program history. Under alumna Tierra Terry in her first season at the helm, this group now stands on the edge of something even bigger.
The game itself was dramatic. Livingstone came out hot, shooting 50 percent from three in the first half. WSSU found itself dow 39-36 at halftime. But Terry didn’t panic, she just knew her team needed to get back to its identity.
“All credit to Livingstone coming out hot,” Terry said. “It’s hard to stop that when they’re on a roll like that. But we really dug deep and figured out a way to come back in that third and fourth quarter and just show our defensive energy and identity again, because that’s just who we are.”
That identity — defense, togetherness, resilience — has defined this season.
A Game of Runs, and a Statement Finish
Breonna Roaf helped spark the comeback. The freshman from Fayetteville scored a game and career high 26 points. She was unfazed by the early deficit.
“I think it’s just a game of runs,” Roaf said. “I wasn’t really too worried. We just gotta have a bigger run.”
Roaf’s confidence reflected the maturity of a team that no longer flinches. She spoke of clearing her mind after emotional highs earlier of a win against her hometown HBCU on Saturday.
“I just had to let that game go and focus on the next one,” she said. “Livingstone is not an easy team to beat.”
When the Rams began knocking down shots in the second half, the building felt it. Roaf’s perimeter shooting lit up the crowd.
“It was definitely a fun environment out there,” she said. “We did a lot of room for a lot of good passes. Not just the shot.”
Terry smiled when reflecting on the barrage from deep.
“As a shooter myself, it made my heart happy to see 12 three-pointers go in,” she said. “Credit to Coach Dill for just being there for them, pushing them, giving them that confidence to hit those big shots.”
The Gaines Center Energy
But the deeper story Tuesday was not about shooting. It was about atmosphere in a tense HBCU rivalry.
“As an alum, it’s just an invigorating feeling to be in the Gaines Center every night,” Terry said. “Before the game even starts, I saw the fans waiting to get in. That’s an exciting feeling.”
When WSSU trailed, the crowd never wavered.
“The crowd never gave up on us,” Terry said. “They really put batteries in their back to keep going.”
The support is no longer incidental. It is intentional. Terry acknowledged that the program’s growth is being felt across campus and throughout the Winston-Salem community.
“These young ladies deserve it,” she said. “They put in the extra work. They’ve never given up on themselves.”
The respect, she noted, extends beyond basketball.
“People don’t only respect them for being basketball players,” Terry said. “They really respect who they are as people.”
Belief Has Built Around WSSU Women
That character has fueled belief.
Earlier this month, a $20,000 fundraising campaign was launched tied to the pursuit of a 20-win season. Terry made sure to acknowledge that faith.
“I want to thank everyone for the 20,000 campaign,” she said. “Even before we hit 20, people believed in us enough to donate. That means you thought we were going to do it.”
They did it. Now, they are one win away from standing alone in program history — with a lot of season left.
Roaf admitted the transition to WSSU was intimidating at first.
“I was kind of scared coming in,” she said. “But I have a lot of confidence in Coach Terry and everything she does. Just trust the process.”
JUCO transfer Nevaeh Farmer was huge in the Livingstone game, scoring 19 points and hitting five 3-pointers. She echoed that trust in her coach and her team, as well as her self.
“I’m just glad that she trusts me,” Farmer said. “Believed in me to come here.”
That belief has become reciprocal. The players believe in each other. They believe in the system. And increasingly, the community believes in them.
An HBCU program re-writing its narrative
Terry remains measured.
“I go game by game,” she said. “I don’t think about rankings. I don’t think about any of that.”
Yet even she acknowledged the rarity of the moment.
“It’s hard to come by,” she said of 20-win seasons. “It’s not an easy feat.”
WSSU women’s basketball has tied history. One more win will make it.
But Tuesday night felt like something larger than numbers. It felt like a program that once lived quietly in the background stepping fully into the spotlight.
“We hope that we are making the community proud,” Terry said. “Not just as basketball players, but just as young women.”
In this season of milestones, that may be the most lasting achievement of all.