By Jarrett Hoffman
HBCU Sports
https://hbcusports.com/
The celebration of the Winston-Salem State women’s basketball team’s historic season continues with a significant honor bestowed upon them by the local community.
Per the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, April 2, 2026, is officially known as WSSU Lady Rams Basketball Team Day.
District A County Commissioner and Winston-Salem State alumna Tonya McDaniel officiated the ceremony, acknowledging the Lady Rams’ historic achievements on and off the court.
“And whereas the Lady Rams’ historic season brought world recognition to Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, elevating the visibility of the university and the community on a regional and national stage,” said McDaniel in a proclamation officially naming April 2, 2026, WSSU Lady Rams Basketball Team Day. “Now therefore be it proclaimed that the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners hereby recognizes and commends the outstanding achievements of the ’25-’26 Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams team and Head Coach Tierra Terry, and be it further proclaimed that the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners officially designates April 2, 2026, as the Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams Basketball Team Day.”
Following the retirement of former head coach L’Tona Lamonte after eight seasons with the team, the Lady Rams called on alumnus Tierra Terry to succeed her.
Coach Terry came to the team after having spent the previous four seasons as head coach at Virginia Union, having guided the Panthers to their first 20-win season since 2019-2020 in her last year.
In a year highlighted by three All-CIAA team selections and two to the All-CIAA Rookie team, the Lady Rams remarkably went from a 6-19 record in the regular season the previous year to a 23-3 record this year.
This included wins in their first 15 games against Division II opponents by an average margin of 16 points per game, leading to Coach Terry being named CIAA Coach of the Year.
The Lady Rams then breezed through the CIAA tournament, taking down the two-time defending conference champion Fayetteville State in the final, averaging nearly a 25-point margin of victory to claim their first title in school history.
Winston-Salem State then moved on to its first Division II National tournament in school history, keeping its streak of dominant wins going in the first two rounds against Glenville State and Gannon.
