Winston-Salem State earns berth in women's Sweet 16

WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY

Winston-Salem State's Maia Charles shoots over Gannon defenders in the Rams' 67-48 win in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament on March 11, 2026. WSSU advanced to the Atlantic Region final against Indiana (Pa.) March 16.

Winston-Salem State women’s basketball is in historic territory.

The Rams handled Gannon 67-48 Saturday to earn a berth in Monday’s NCAA Division II Atlantic Region championship game in the program’s first playoff appearance. They will face Indiana (Pa.) at 7 p.m. 

For the second straight game, WSSU (28-3) led wire-to-wire, this time getting off to a 9-0 start that eventually mushroomed to 16-4. The Rams countered every time their opponent, the two-time defending Atlantic Regional Champions, tried to trim the deficit.

The Rams, who won the CIAA title last month, were led by sophomore forward Maia Charles, who scored 19 points, 28% of WSSU’s output, in the victory. Senior guards Makayla Waleed and Jakaiya Mack each contributed 10 points.

The win is historic because it’s the first time in school history the Rams will compete for a regional title. It’s also historic because it represents a complete turnaround for a program that just a year ago went 7-20.

“That was a really, really good team, obviously, who won the regional last year,” WSSU coach Tierra Terry said. “To come out and be able to win this game today meant a lot to us. They’re a well-oiled team. They play like a machine. But I’m proud to see that we executed our scouting report. We really played with a lot of heart, and we really played like it meant something to us.” 

The Rams led 23-15 at the end of the first quarter and scored the first five points in the second before the Golden Knights got on the board. WSSU hit a 3-pointer on the buzzer to take a 43-28 lead into halftime.
In the end, WSSU’s 19-point margin of victory was two more than their opening round game against the Glenville State on Friday. 

On Saturday, about 110 people attended a Watch Party inside the Cleon F. Thompson Student Support Center on campus, where students, faculty, staff and alumni were treated to fried fish, fried chicken, baked beans, cole slaw and pulled pork.

“We had a great time at the watch party,” said Danari McIllwain, president of the Student Union Advisory Board, which sponsored the event in partnership with the Athletics Department, Career Development Services and Shawn Odom, interim associate provost and vice chancellor for student affairs. “It was electric.”

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