HBCU basketball has produced few better stories this season than the rise of WSSU women’s basketball, and Wednesday night felt like the moment it all crystallized.
Inside the C.E. Gaines Center, WSSU handled business on the floor with an 81–64 win over Bluefield State. But it was what happened after the game — away from the cameras, away from the crowd, inside the post-game lounge — that revealed just how profound this turnaround has become.
The victory was the Rams’ 12th straight, tying a program record set by the 1997–98 team. It also came against Bluefield State head coach Paul Davis, a proud WSSU alumnus who understood exactly what the night meant. The streak alone would have made it significant. What followed made it a memorable moment in a feel-good season.
Tierra Terry and her staff have nearly doubled WSSU’s wins from the previous season. (Steven J. Gaither/HBCU Gameday)A Team That Earned Every Bit of This
The game itself reflected everything first-year head coach Tierra Terry has instilled since arriving in Winston-Salem. WSSU played with poise against pressure, physicality in the paint, and discipline when Bluefield State tried to speed the tempo.
“This conference is very tough,” Terry said afterward. “Everybody is a good opponent. We felt their presence the entire game.”
Led by Maia Charles’ 30-point, 11-rebound, seven-block performance, WSSU gradually imposed its will. The Rams shot over 55 percent from the field, controlled the glass, and turned defense into offense repeatedly.
Charles’ night carried extra meaning. She had just been named CIAA Player of the Week — the program’s first such honor of the season.
“We challenged her,” Terry said. “To put up those numbers in conference play, right after that? That’s impressive.”
But Terry’s message, as always, extended beyond one player or one game.
Maia Charles had a monster game for WSSU with 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. (Steven J. Gaither/HBCU Gameday)WSSU ties a record
The Rams are now 12–1 overall and 3–0 in the CIAA, matching the longest winning streak in program history. For a women’s program that has never won a CIAA championship, that matters.
Yet Terry refuses to let the streak become a distraction.
“There are still things we have to clean up,” she said. “We’re just plugging away game by game.”
That mentality is why this team feels different. It defends relentlessly. It shares the ball. It competes like a group that understands the margin for error in HBCU basketball is thin — and earned.
The Moment That Made the Night
After the win, the team gathered in the post-game lounge. The energy was still buzzing, but nothing prepared them for what came next.
Chancellor Bonita Brown, the first permanent woman chancellor at WSSU, walked in.
What followed wasn’t a formal speech. It was joy. Surprise. Emotion.
Then came the reveal.
Brown and interim athletic director Eric Burns made a promise to the team after its season-opening loss to NC A&T: if the team reached 10–1 before the break, they would be rewarded with new sneakers — the Under Armour jogger-style shoes the players wanted.
WSSU women react to new shoes coming their way. (Steven J. Gaither/HBCU Gameday)
They delivered.
“They went 10-1,” Burns said. “So we delivered on the promise. We’re still on a roll.”
The room erupted. Players screamed, danced, and hugged. One joked she’d wear the shoes every day. It wasn’t about footwear. It was about recognition.
“I can’t wait to see y’all in y’all shoes,” Brown said as laughter and screams filled the room. “Keep up the good work. Enjoy yourselves. We’re all out there rooting for you — and we love it.”
Before she left out of the room, she held up a finger and made sure the team heard her.
“No. 13! No. 13 on the way.”
Why This Matters in HBCU Basketball
Programs often talk about “buy-in.” This was buy-in made visible.
Administrative leadership showing up. Keeping a promise. Celebrating women’s basketball in the moment, not after a championship banner is already hanging. New shoes at Power Four institutions are every-day occurrences. As an HBCU at the Division II level, that’s not the case.
“You know people see their hard work,” Terry said later. “That meant a lot.”
For WSSU, this wasn’t just a reward. It was a statement: this matters.
The men’s program at WSSU has long carried national prestige. The women’s program has carried potential — and patience. Under Terry, that patience is finally paying dividends.
A Season That Feels Different
Even without students fully back on campus, the crowd inside the Gaines Center was strong. The energy felt real. Terry believes it’s only the beginning.
“When the students come back, it brings an even bigger atmosphere,” she said. “The engagement takes us up another notch.”
Twelve wins. A tied record. A locker room full of laughter, music, and new shoes.
This is no longer just a good run. It’s one of the defining stories of the HBCU basketball season so far.
And for WSSU, it feels like something that has been building for years — finally arriving, together, all at once.
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