Nov. 29, 2003

Bowie, MD - The Winston-Salem State University Rams did not get to enjoy much of a rest for Thanksgiving as they returned to the road and traveled to Bowie, MD to face the 2002-03 CIAA Champion Bowie State Bulldogs in the Rams first CIAA contest of the young season.

The Rams, riding a four game win streak, would face a formidable opponent in the Bulldogs, who in addition to capturing the 2002-03 CIAA title advanced to the NCAA Division II "Final Four" last season.

The Bulldogs, like the Rams, were also riding a four game win streak, having defeated all four of their opponents this season, including nationally-ranked Eckerd College in overtime en route to capturing the 2003 Best Western Invitational Tournament.

The 2003-04 Rams were not entering the game devoid of accolades either as WSSU captured the Joe Reibel Tip-Off Tournament Title in spectacular fashion only two short weeks ago.

The Bulldogs and Rams are two very similar teams, with the only difference being Bowie State's overwhelming height, and experience, matching up against a smaller, younger Rams' team.

However, the first half of play belonged to the Rams for the majority of the 20 minutes, as WSSU jumped out to the early lead, leading by as many at 13-points, midway through the first half of play. The Bulldogs mounted a comeback and succeeded in cutting the Ram lead to five points at 39-35, heading into the intermission.

The Rams, despite being undersized in comparison to the Bulldogs would own the inside game in the first half of play, recording 16 points in the paint, while holding the Bulldogs to only eight such points.

The first half was highlighted by 17 WSSU points off of 13 Bowie State turnovers, a difference that propelled the Rams to the early lead, and one that the Rams hung on to at the close of the period.

Audley Wehner (Fr./F/6'6"/215/Fayetteville, NC) closed the half of play looking as though he was well on his way to reaching his 2003-04 average of 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as he recorded seven points and five rebounds in 11 minutes of play in the first half.

The Rams were again led by sophomore superstar Alleggrie Guinn (So./G/6'3"/Charlotte, NC) who chipped in with nine points and two rebounds as well as two steals as he helped the Rams to lead at the half.

The Rams and Bulldogs battled back and forth in a game that would give new meaning to a see-saw affair. The Rams continued to hold on to their slim lead, never being able to forge ahead by more than six points. The battle continued until only 3:29 remained in the contest when Bowie State was able to pull ahead by one point. That lead was short-lived when John Adams (Sr./G/6'3"/190/Charlotte, NC) hit a floating 14-footer to help WSSU regain the lead at 65-64. He promptly hit two free throws only 16 seconds later to give the Rams a three-point lead at 67-64 with just over three minutes remaining in the contest.

The game would come down to the final 47 seconds of play. Knotted at 71-71 with 47 seconds remaining, Audly Wehner missed a two-footer, and Terris Sifford (Jr./F/6'4"/195/Cleveland, NC) crashed the boards, snared the rebound, and converted the second-chance lay-up to give the Rams the 73-71 lead with 25.1 seconds remaining.

The ensuing Bowie State possession resulted in free throw attempts for the Bulldogs. Senior guard Anton Jennifer missed the front end of the pair of attempts, and the Rams were left clinging to a 73-72 lead with 15.1 seconds remaining.

The Bulldog pressure failed to yield dividends as the Rams, playing heads-up basketball, got the ball to Guinn who found a wide-open Wehner for an uncontested lay-up increasing the Ram lead to three points (75-72) with 6.2 seconds to play. The Ram defense prevented a Bulldog shot, and the Rams earned the hard-fought 75-72 victory.

The Rams were the beneficiaries of three players who recorded double-figure scoring, as John Adams recorded 16 points, Audly Wehner had 15 and Alleggrie Guinn had 13 in the victory.

With the win, the Rams improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA while the Bulldogs are handed their first loss of the season, falling to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the CIAA.