Rams Fall To Saint Augustine's College 75-71; Lose First CIAA Game
Jan. 11, 2005
Raleigh, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams men's basketball team traveled the 90 miles to Raleigh, NC and the campus of Saint Augustine's College looking to end their four-game losing streak versus the Falcons, as WSSU put their 9-4 record, and two-game win streak on the line in the process. The Rams would not be able to pull out the road win however, as the Falcons held on to a 75-71 despite a valiant WSSU comeback attempt.
The contest was a close one throughout as the two teams showed the 758 fans in attendance just how competitive CIAA league basketball can be. The first half of play saw both teams shoot 50% or better from the field as the Falcons hit 10 of their 20 first-half shots (50.0%), and the Rams hit 15 of 29 shots, for a field-goal percentage of 51.7%, as the two teams traded blows.
The Rams were able to eventually jump out to a lead of as many as 10 points in the half, as 2003-04 CIAA Rookie of the Year Audly Wehner (So./Fayetteville, NC) was able to impose his will upon the Falcon defense, doing seemingly whatever he wanted.
Wehner would tally 22 points during the game's first 20 minutes of play as he was a perfect eight-for-eight from the field in the first half. He combined that perfection from the field with a perfect six-for-six performance from the free throw line to account for 22 of the Rams' 39 first-half points, or 56.4% of the WSSU offense.
Behind Wehner's offensive outburst and five rebounds, the Rams would hold an eight-point lead at the halftime intermission, as they led the Falcons 39-31 heading into the locker room.
The second half of play was a see-saw affair as the two teams traded baskets for the better part of 20 minutes, with neither team being able to pull away from the other.
WSSU started the half on a 4-0 run to increase their lead to 12 points as they looked to regain momentum following halftime. However, the Falcons, much to the chagrin of Ram fans, mounted a run of their own, this time of the six-point variety, to slice the Rams' lead back to single-digits at eight points.
From then on, the two teams would pound one another with trademark offensive and defensive intensity and neither team would lead by more than eight points for the remainder of the game.
It was the Falcons however, that would establish dominance over the flow of the game as they disrupted the effective WSSU inside presence and forced the Rams to settle for jump shots.
The "pack it in" scheme would prove successful as the Falcons would take their largest lead of the half, an eight point advantage with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest at 60-52.
However, much like the Falcons, the Rams mounted a run of their own, a 7-0 swing to get themselves back into the contest, trailing by only a point with slightly more than six minutes to play.
Trailing by six points with under one minute to go, CIAA Player of the Week Alleggrie Guinn (Jr./Charlotte, NC) would hit a deep three-pointer and a pair of free-throws to narrow the Rams' deficit to only one point with 20 seconds to play.
It would not be enough however, as the Rams would come up just short despite getting a good look at a go-ahead three-pointer with seven seconds remaining. Ultimately, it would come down to another stellar St. Augustine's College individual performance that sealed the Rams' fate. In 2002-03 it was Patrick Pope. In 2003-04 it was Desmond Peoples. And in 2004-05 it was Claude "Chip" Neeley. Neeley would score 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half of play to propel the Falcons to a win.
Leading the way for the Rams was Wehner who finished with a game-high 32 points in the contest. The Falcons were led by Neeley who tallied 20 points.
With the loss, the Rams fall to 9-5 overall (2-1 CIAA, 0-1 Western Division) while the Falcons improve to 5-7 overall (2-2 CIAA, 1-1 Western Division).
The Rams will return to action on January 15th, 2005 at 7:00 pm as they travel to Charlotte, NC to face the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University in the 2005 Jim Richardson Legacy Classic. The next Rams home contest will be when they play host to the Bears of Shaw University at the LJVM Coliseum Annex on January 20th, 2005 at 7:30 pm.
For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, please contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com
