EDINBORO, Pa. (December 28, 2013) – The Edinboro women's basketball team will spend New Year's Eve in North Carolina, wrapping up 2103 with a return engagement at Winston-Salem State.  The two teams met on November 25, with the Lady Rams prevailing 59-58 at McComb Fieldhouse.  The Fighting Scots bring a 5-3 record into the New Year's Eve matinee, with tipoff at the C.E. Gaines Center set for 2 p.m.  Winston-Salem State owns a 6-3 record.

In the first meeting, Aignee' Freeland's layup with 39 seconds to play gave the Fighting Scots a 58-57 lead in the back-and-forth affair, but Amanda Hairston scored the winning basket with 14 seconds to play.  Valerie Majewski misfired on a layup with seven seconds to go, with Winston-Salem State grabbing the rebound.  Majewski would come up with a steal, but her shot from just past halfcourt was no good as time expired.  The game featured seven ties and eight lead changes.

Laurel Lindsay led three Fighting Scots in double figures with 17 points, adding seven rebounds and five assists.  Majewski added 15 points, six rebounds and six steals while Hope Mancini had 11 points.  Hairston led WSSU with 18 points, while Raven Fields was also in double digits with 10 points.

Edinboro last played on December 21, suffering a 76-73 loss at West Chester despite Freeland's fourth double-double of the season, a 24-point, 12-rebound effort.  The 6'3" sophomore comes in as Edinboro's leading scorer (15.8 ppg.) and rebounder (9.8 rpg.).  She is shooting 56.9 percent from the floor and has a team-high 11 blocked shots.

Freeland is one of four players scoring in double figures.  Majewski, a junior guard, comes in at 13.4 ppg. in her first season as a Fighting Scot after transferring from University at Buffalo.  She also leads the team in assists (34) and steals (20). 

Senior guard Hope Mancini comes in at 12.8 ppg. and is the top 3-point threat on the Scots, making 21 of 58.  Lindsay is a strong all-around performer, as the junior guard/forward averages 12.0 ppg. along with 5.0 rpg., with 27 assists.

Edinboro received a recent boost with the return of Darche' Jackson.  Jackson missed the first five games before returning against Bloomsburg. She would suffer an injury in the first half and see limited action in the game, then miss the next day's contest vs. East Stroudsburg.  The senior guard returned at West Chester and matched her career high with 12 assists.    

Winston-Salem State has won two straight games and five of its last six contests.  The first loss of the season was to Division I Elon by a 73-68 score, and the only loss in the six-game stretch was an 86-83 setback to Glenville State.  WSSU comes off a 52-34 win at Benedict on December 21.  The Lady Rams feature a strong defense which has held five opponents under 60 points.  Overall, they allow 60.2 ppg. and hold opponents to 34.8 percent shooting from the floor.

Jasmine Elum, a 5'6" guard who joined the Lady Rams this season after previously playing at Bethune-Cookman, is the leading scorer at 13.3 ppg., followed by Dionna Scott at 13.1 ppg.  Scott, a 5'11" junior,, is also pulling down a team-high 8.0 rpg.  Hairston, a 6'0" senior who also played at Bethune-Cookman prior to this year, adds 8.8 ppg. and 5.8 rpg.

Following the Winston-Salem State contest, Edinboro plays its first game of 2014 on January 3 at Cheyney. The next day the Fighting Scots complete the two-game PSAC crossover swing at Millersville.