March 5, 2008
Game #29 vs. South Carolina State Notables...The Rams and the Bulldogs will tip-off on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Coliseum in Orangeburg, South Carolina....The two teams will meet for the second time this season and fifth time in history...The game is a conference match-up as both teams are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) but does not count in the MEAC's overall standings...The Bulldogs hold an 11-19 overall record and a 7-9 record in the MEAC...The Rams enter Thursday's contest with a 12-16 record overall...Starting this season (2007-08) the two teams will face one another two times every year (once at home, once on the road) as part of the MEAC league schedule...The Rams dropped their first game to the Bulldogs this season and look to even the overall series with a win on Thursday...The all-time series is tied 2-2...The Rams look to avenge their overtime loss of three months ago when South Carolina State edged WSSU 74-70 in Winston-Salem.
The Usual Suspects
#20 Darrell Wonge...One of a trio of WSSU seniors, Wonge has been dubbed "the face of the WSSU program" as he is the team's captain for the 2007-08 season...A natural two or three, Wonge is a speedy slasher with a deadly mid-range jumper and accuracy from beyond the three-point arc...Had a career day vs. Hampton on Jan. 19...Scored 30 points, almost half of the team's total (62)...Averaging just over 10.3 points per game...Along with Floyd, led team with 17 points in double overtime win over SCSU.
#21 Jamal Durham...One of the Rams' most versatile players as he can play the three, four or five despite being only 6-6...Has appeared at all three positions during his WSSU career...Leads the squad with 11.9 points per game...Played a career high 38 minutes against Norfolk State and ranks second on the team, behind Roy Peake, in minutes with an average of 30.9 minutes...One of five players to score in double-figures at Florida A&M...Had 14 points at SCSU.
#05 Isiah Tucker...Has appeared in all 28 games for the Rams...Averaging 6.2 points per game and 2.0 rebounds per game...Is averaging almost 22 minutes per contest... Had a career high 16 points three times during his rookie season...Looks to follow in Roy Peake's assist footsteps...Averaging almost 2.8 assists per game (78 total)...Was held scoreless for second straight game...Had one steal in 10 minutes at Bethune-Cookman in WSSU's overtime win.
#03 Brian Fisher...Ranks third on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game...Is second on the team with 238 field goals attempted (trailing only Jamal Durham and his 285 FGA)...Scored season high 20 points and had six rebounds at Howard...Third on the team in assists per game with 1.9 helpers per game and is third on the team in minutes per game, averaging 25.0 minutes per contest... One of five players to score in double-figures at Bethune-Cookman.
#32 Roy Peake...Rock solid, Peake is the most consistent player on the WSSU roster...Not a huge scorer (5.1 ppg)...Leads the team in minutes (31.2)...The fifth-year senior is second on the WSSU all-time assist chart with 453 helpers...Leads the team with 83 career starts...Peake has not missed a game during his WSSU career and appeared in his 115th consecutive game on March 3...Has a 2.25 to 1 assist to turnover ratio for his career (453 assists and 201 turnovers)...Has never fouled out in his career.
Game Details
The Winston-Salem State University Rams (12-16) versus the South Carolina State University Bulldogs (11-19, 7-9 MEAC) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Coliseum (3,200 capacity) in Orangeburg, South Carolina on March 6, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The contest is a part of a MEAC doubleheader (but does not count in the standings) with the WSSU Lady Rams taking to the court at 5:30 p.m. The men's game will tip-off 20 minutes after the completion of the women's contest.
Setting the Scene
The Rams defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 76-71 in a double overtime thriller Monday night. The Rams are now 1-1 in overtime games. The Rams lone overtime loss came at the hands of this week's opponent,
The Series In Depth
The Bulldogs and Rams are tied 2-2, in the all-time series. The two programs first met during the 1959-60 season and renewed their rivalry last season. The Wildcats defeated the Rams 74-70 in overtime on Dec. 1 in
Streaks
The Rams stopped a one-game losing streak on Monday night when they defeated Bethune-Cookman 76-71 in double overtime. The Bulldogs are 3-2 in their last five games after defeating Bethune-Cookman on March 1 in overtime. SCSU fell to Florida A&M on Monday, March 3.
Television Coverage
There will be no live television broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Bulldogs.
WSSU Radio Coverage
The Rams will broadcast the contest versus the Bulldogs live on the radio on WSNC 90.5 FM. WSNC is the flagship station of the Rams Radio Broadcasting Network and will carry all WSSU games live on the radio in the greater Winston-Salem, NC area and worldwide on the Internet at www.WSSU.edu. Alan Chavous will provide all the play-by-play action with Kim Spears providing the color analysis. Sharrod Patterson will appear on select broadcasts and provide in-depth analysis.
The Bulldogs will broadcast the contest between versus the Rams live on the radio on WSSB 90.3 FM with Marion White calling all the play-by-play action and Lionel Sabb providing color commentary. For additional information on potential SCSU radio broadcasts, contact the SCSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.
Live Statistical Broadcast
WSSU partners with CSTV Online and the Office of Athletic Media Relations will air a live statistical broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Bulldogs on the Internet utilizing CSTV's GAMETRACKER software application. WSSU's live statistical broadcast will be available at WSSURams.com. The broadcast is free of charge to any viewer wishing to take advantage of the live statistics feature.
Websites
WSSURAMS.com, the official website for
Whom To Contact
The
National Rankings
Neither the Rams nor the Bulldogs are ranked in either the AP Top 25 poll or ESPN/USA Today poll. Neither team has been ranked this season and neither have received votes in 2007-08. Neither team has defeated a ranked team.
The Book On WSSU (12-16)
The Rams got back to their winning ways on Monday with a thrilling 76-71 double overtime victory over Bethune-Cookman.
WSSU had five players score in double-figures for the second straight game (the first at Florida A&M just two days earlier). Darrell Wonge and Darius Floyd led the team with 17 points each, while Jamal Durham added 14 points. Brian Fisher and Paul Davis each tallied 11 points.
Wonge also led the team in rebounds with nine to help the Rams outrebound the Wildcats 34 to 26.
The Rams check in, as of press time, with 12 wins and 16 losses with two games remaining in the 2007-08 season.
WSSU is averaging 62.5 points per game while giving up nearly 68 points per contest (67.7).
The Rams are shooting 39.5 percent from the field and are allowing opponents to hit 43.4 percent of their attempts from the field en route to being outscored by 5.2 points per contest.
Leading the way for the Rams is junior forward Jamal Durham who is scoring 11.9 points per game and is shooting 39.6 percent from the field.
Senior forward Darrell Wonge has once again moved his scoring average above 10 points per game as Wonge's 17-point output versus Bethune-Cookman on Monday moved his scoring average to 10.3 points per game. Wonge is pulling down 4.8 rebounds per contest and is also amongst WSSU's best on the boards.
The Rams only downfall may be their inconsistency on the road. WSSU has two road wins in 13 tries this season as the Rams sport a 2-11 record in road games.
The Book On
The Bulldogs are talented team that heads into Monday's action with an 11-19 overall record and a 7-9 mark in the MEAC. The Bulldogs are riding a one-game losing streak after falling in defeat at Florida A&M on March 3 by the score of 85-72.
Leading the way for the Bulldogs is Jason Johnson who is checking in with 11.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Joining Johnson in double-figures is Jason Flagler who is tallying 10.6 points per game, and Jessie Burton who is averaging 10.2 points per game.
The Bulldogs are scoring 70.4 points per game and all five starters are scoring over 10 points per game or within one point per game of double-figure scoring averages.
The Bulldogs are shooting 43.1 percent from the field and are allowing only 76.1 points per contest as they are being outscored by 5.7 points per game.
Thursday's contest marks the second consecutive season that the Rams and Bulldogs have closed out the regular season with a meeting in
Season Two For Collins
The 2007-08 season marks the second season at WSSU for head coach Bobby Collins. Collins, a 1991 graduate of
Collins Versus
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has posted an all-time mark of 5-6 versus
Collins Versus the
Season One For
The Bulldogs are led by first-year (first year at SCSU) man Tim Carter who is in his first season as SCSU's head coach. Carter has posted an 11-19 overall record as SCSU's head coach and has recorded an impressive 167-171 record in his coaching career. The 50-year-old Carter has over 26 seasons of experience and in 2006-07 completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Florida State Seminoles under head coach Leonard Hamilton.
Last Action (Mar. 3 vs. Bethune-Cookman)
Forty minutes wasn't enough. Neither was 45 minutes. It took 50 minutes for the outcome of the Bethune-Cookman versus Winston-Salem State University men's basketball contest to be decided on Monday evening in Daytona Beach, Florida before the Rams earned a double-overtime victory over the Wildcats in a thriller that saw the Rams erase an eight-point lead at the end of regulation to force a pair of overtimes en route to the win.
Ten lead changes and seven ties, 40 minutes of regulation time and a pair of five minute overtime sessions added up to a five-point WSSU win as the Rams snapped a one-game losing skid and salvaged a split in their annual road trip to the state of Florida.
The Rams started the contest on a 9-2 run as they opened up a seven point lead over the startled Wildcats. Unfortunately for the Rams, the seven-point early lead would be WSSU's largest margin of the game as Bethune-Cookman, a team that was only 6-8 at home headed into the contest, responded with a run of their own as they closed the gap, eventually taking the lead in the final three minutes of the first half.
On the heels of their 8-0 run to close the first half, the Wildcats held a three-point advantage, up 32-29 headed into the locker room at halftime.
Second half action was nearly dead even for the first 15 minutes of play with the two teams separated by less than eight points for the entire period of play.
A Dewayne Pettus jumper with 2:40 remaining put the Wildcats in the lead by six points, ahead 60-54 as Bethune-Cookman looked to be inching ever closer to a season sweep of the Rams, a team that they had defeated 60-50 in Winston-Salem, NC on February 4.
Looks proved to be deceiving for the Wildcats however as the Rams, in a scene eerily reminiscent of the come-from-behind victory at Howard in Washington, D.C. on February 16, used a pair of Roy Peake free throws, a pair of Darrell Wonge free throws, a Wildcat turnover and a Jamal Durham jumper to mount a 6-0 run in little more than a minute of play as they tied the game 60-60.
Tied at 60 all, the Rams very nearly won the game in regulation as a Darrell Wonge jumper as time expired was off the mark and the two teams headed to overtime.
A Darius Floyd jumped with under one minute to play in the extra frame forced a second, and final, overtime period as
The second overtime session proved to belong squarely to WSSU as the Rams closed out the final three minutes of the contest on a 6-1 run en route to the 76-71 double-overtime victory.
Senior forward Darrell Wonge and sophomore guard Darius Floyd led the Rams with 17 points each as they were two of five WSSU players to record double-digit scoring nights. Joining Wonge and Floyd in double-figures was Jamal Durham with 14 points and Brian Fisher and Paul Davis who each tallied 10 points in the win.
Leading Bethune-Cookman was Dewayne Pettus who paced all scorers with 22 points. Dominique Whatley chipped in with 13 points and Kevin Crappy and Jordan Carrier each tallied 10 points in the losing effort.
Senior Night
When the Rams took to the court versus
Manic Mondays
The Rams have had their share of difficulties playing on Mondays this season.
Winless On The Road No More
The Rams picked up their first road win of the season against Howard on Feb. 16 - their first victory away from home since January 27, 2007 when they earned a 56-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman. On the season, WSSU is 2-11 on the road. WSSU looks to improve upon that mark this Thursday with its final regular season contest.
Morris' Career Day
Freshman center Corey Morris had a career day on Feb. 18 at
First Half Woes
The Rams' 13 first-half points versus
Cold Shooting
The Rams' first-half shooting percentage of 18.2 percent versus the Bears of Morgan State on Feb. 9 marked the lowest single-half shooting percentage of the season for the Rams easily surpassing the previous single-half low of 21.9 percent that WSSU shot in the season-opener on Nov. 9 at Iowa State. February 11th's loss at
Largest Halftime Deficit
The Rams' 26-point deficit to the Morgan State Bears marked the largest halftime deficit of the season for the Rams. The Rams' previous season-high halftime deficit was 16 points.
Second Three-Game Losing Streak Snapped
The Rams' one-point victory over Howard on Feb. 16 snapped a three-game losing streak and is the second time WSSU stopped the streak from extending to four games. WSSU fell to
Only 12 Field Goals
The Rams recorded a season-low 12 total field goals at
Next Up
The Rams conclude the 2007-08 season in a season-ending "Bonus Game" at the 2008 MEAC Basketball Tournament versus North Carolina Central. The game will be held on Saturday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m.
A Vast Improvement Over Last Year
The 30-Point Club
Darrell Wonge's 30-point performance versus the Pirates of Hampton on Jan. 21 marks the first 30-point individual scoring performance by a Ram in WSSU's Division I era and is the first time a WSSU player scored 30 points since Audly Wehner recorded 30 points at North Carolina Central on Feb. 5, 2005 a span of nearly three years (1,080 days).
Injury Update
The Rams have only one player on the injury report as freshman forward/center Paul Davis first appeared on the injury report prior to the first North Carolina A&T game.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
The Rams have hosted home games in three different venues this season. WSSU is 9-5 at home this season, 3-3 in home games at the Coliseum Annex, 4-2 in home games at the LJVM Coliseum; and a perfect 2-0 in games at the
Road Woes
The Rams posted their first win on the road on Feb. 16 against Howard. Prior to the victory, WSSU dropped nine contests on the road season and the closest WSSU came before Feb. 16th's win was a neutral site win over Lipscomb (68-58 from the American Family Insurance Cyclone Classic held at Iowa State on Nov. 10).
Lineup Shake-Up
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has used 11 different starting lineups this season with only one Ram, Darrell Wonge, starting every contest. Senior Roy Peake has started 26 of 28 games and Brian Fisher has started 17 of the 27 games in which he has appeared. Jamal
Peake's Streak Snapped
Senior guard Roy Peake saw his streak of 21 consecutive games started snapped versus the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Feb. 2. Peake had started 21 straight games dating back to last season and had started 33 of the Rams' last 34 contests. He missed his second consecutive start on Monday, Feb. 4 versus Bethune-Cookman. Peake returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 9 at
Puckett's Buckets No More
Junior transfer Michael Puckett was as good, if not better, than advertised. Puckett led the Rams in scoring three times in the Rams' first 11 games of the 2007-08 season and recorded six games this season where he scored in double-figures.
Unfortunately for the Rams, Puckett was ruled academically ineligible (his GPA was too low) for the Spring semester of 2008 and will sit out the remainder of the Rams' season.
Commenting on Puckett's ineligibility, WSSU head coach Bobby Collins noted: "We have to get others to step up more with Mike no longer out there. It will be a big loss, but at the same time, we have some guys capable of filling his shoes."
Most Lopsided Win Since 1977-78
The 105-59 win over UMES on Jan. 12, a 46-point margin of victory marks the Rams' most lopsided win since a 111-58 win over the Delaware State University Hornets that came in the 1977-78 season.
Gotta Get To 10
When the Rams record 10 or more steals in a game they have posted a 6-3 overall record. WSSU has posted a 6-13 record when they are held to less than 10 steals.
Comeback Kids
The Rams' come-from-behind 78-76 victory over the Bulldogs of
Giving Up Double-Doubles
The Rams have surrendered a double-double performance to an opponent 12 times in 2007-08 and have posted a 4-8 record when doing so.
Morris Not Redshirting
Prior to the season, WSSU head coach Bobby Collins announced his intentions to redshirt Corey Morris, a freshman center. However, Morris appeared in the contest versus Wake Forest and has since appeared in 15 more games for the Rams thus indicating that Coach Collins has decided not to redshirt the man they call "Big C".
Home Sweet Home
The Rams, a team that posted 23 road games last season, has benefitted from 15 contests played in
Been There, Done That
The Rams have faced teams from eight different Division I conferences this season. WSSU has faced the Big 12 (Iowa State and Kansas State) twice and the MEAC 17 times and WSSU has faced the Atlantic Sun (Lipscomb), Atlantic 10 (Duquesne), Colonial Athletic Association (Georgia State), South Western Athletic Conference (Alabama A&M), Atlantic Coast Conference (Wake Forest), Western Athletic Conference (Fresno State), and the BIG EAST (USF) one time each.
Taking Charge
The Rams have taken 38 charges through 28 games of the 2007-08 season, an average of 1.33 charges taken per contest. Seniors Darrell Wonge and Roy Peake lead the Rams with a team-high eight charges drawn. Four other players have tallied at least three drawn charges this season.
Largest Lead
The Rams' largest lead of the season came on Jan. 12 when they led the Hawks of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore by 48 points. That lead came only three days after the Rams had led the Pioneers of Columbia Union by 30 points.
No Action In The Early Signing Period
The Rams have no scholarships available as WSSU added six newcomers this past off season. WSSU did not sign any student-athletes in the early signing period due to no scholarships being available.
In, But Not Completely
Though the Rams are considered a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) they are unable to compete for a championship until the 2010-11 season (per NCAA reclassification mandates). The Rams will play a full slate of MEAC games (18 conference games) but will be ineligible for a conference title, ineligible for postseason awards, and will not be listed in the MEAC statistics at seasons' end.
Movin' On Up
The Rams are currently in the third year of a five-year transition from the NCAA Division II level to the highest level of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division I level. In a drive to support rapid growth and attain higher visibility, the Board of Trustees at WSSU approved a plan for reclassification of the school's athletic programs to compete at the NCAA Division I level. WSSU, formerly a member of NCAA Division II and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) where they earned 10 conference titles and the 1967 National Championship, began the five-year reclassification process in 2005-06 and will complete the process in 2010-11.
Half-Dozen States
The 2007-08 WSSU men's basketball roster is comprised of team members from six different states. The Rams have nine players from
Increased Size
The Rams will benefit from increased height on the roster this season as all seven newcomers to the WSSU roster are at least 6'1" or taller. The Rams welcome the addition of a trio of players 6'8" (McIntoche Alcius at 6'8", Paul Davis at 6'9", and Corey Morris at 6'10") or taller and a pair of 6'4" guards (Vaudrey Funderburke and Michael Puckett) as well as adding the services of a 6'1" guard (Isiah Tucker).
62nd Year
The Rams have turned in an overall record of 1066-637 over the span of 61 completed seasons of men's basketball competition for a winning percentage of 62.6 percent. The Rams have turned in 49 winning seasons and have recorded only 10 losing seasons.
National Champions
Under the tutelage of legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines and behind the play of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Earl "The Pearl"
The House That Gaines Built
Legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines coached at
