Keyhana Wakefield scored a game-high 17 points and Jameka Smith added 11 to lead Delaware State to a 42-35 women’s basketball win over Winston-Salem State in Memorial Hall Monday evening.
The Lady Hornets won their third in a row to improve to 6-9 on the season. The Rams fell to 0-13.
Wakefield’s performance included 9-of-12 shooting at the free throw line. Smith was 5-for-10 from the field. She also recorded eight rebounds and four steals.
Koeshia Worthy was high scorer for Winston-Salem State with 12 points, while teammate Rene Rector recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Winston-Salem State controlled the game in the early going. Delaware State missed its first 13 shots from the field and committed seven turnovers as the Rams jumped out to a 13-3 lead. The Lady Hornets didn’t record their first field goal until Wakefield hit a driving lay-up with 9:30 left in the first half to cut Winston-Salem’s lead to 13-5.
The Rams led 15-5 before Delaware State stormed back.
The Lady Hornets scored 13 unanswered points, and opened up an 18-15 lead on a free throw by Wakefield with 3:52 left in the half. Wakefield had seven points and Smith five during the Delaware State run. Winston-Salem State was 0-for-8 from the field and committed five turnovers during the DSU spurt.
Despite shooting just 14.3% from the field (4-for-28), Delaware State led 18-16 at the half. Winston-Salem State was 7-for-25 from the floor (28%), while each team committed 11 turnovers in the first half.
Delaware State scored 13 of the first 14 points in the second half, and opened up a 31-17 lead on a steal and lay-up by Smith with 13:35 left to play.
The Rams scored back-to-back buckets to pull to within 33-26, but Delaware State answered with a 6-1 run to regain a double-digit lead. Wakefield capped off the run with two free throws to give the Lady Hornets a 39-27 lead with 2:26 left to play.
“We were very sluggish tonight, but had enough to rebound from the slow start,” said Delaware State head coach Ed Davis. “Winston-Salem State played with a lot of energy early in the game, and we had to make some adjustments on the defensive end. Fortunately our seniors (Wakefield and Smith) stepped up because our younger players struggled throughout the game.”
Delaware State’s point total was a low for any of its six victories, while Winston-Salem State was held to its lowest score of the season. The Lady Hornets tied their season low of 12 field goals in the contest.
For the game, the Lady Hornets were 12-for-58 from the field (20.7%), including 1-of-11 from three-point territory. Winston Salem State shot 27.7% from the floor (13-for-47), and was 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Delaware State was 17-for-28 at the free throw line, while the Rams connected on 7-of-12 shots from the line.
The Lady Hornets begin a two-game road swing on Saturday (Jan. 17) at Norfolk State. Winston-Salem also returns to action on Saturday with a visit to Howard.