Jan. 25, 2005
Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams used an impressive defensive effort on Tuesday evening at the LJVM Annex, collecting their season-average ten steals and forcing 20 Virginia State turnovers en route to posting a 66-52 victory over the visiting Trojans to improve to 12-5 overall (5-1 CIAA, 1-1 CIAA West) on the season.
The first half of play saw the Rams force 11 Virginia State turnovers and hold the visiting Trojans to a paltry 27.3% shooting percentage from the field as VSU was able to connect on only six of their 22 first-half field goal attempts.
The Rams, despite a slow shooting start themselves were able to use 10 points off of turnovers en route to a five-point halftime lead, ahead of the visiting Trojans 26-21.
Frank Johnson led all Rams in the first half with seven points as he led all scorers during the first 20 minutes of play.
The second half was more of the same for the Rams as they would open up an 17-point lead midway through the half, using points off of turnovers, and rebounding to pull ahead of the taller Trojans for good.
For only the fifth time this season, the Rams out-rebounded their opponent, running their record to 4-1 when doing so. WSSU pulled down a lone rebound more than the much taller Trojans, out-rebounding the visitors 31-30.
Despite what would seem to be an insurmountable lead, the Trojans used solid defense of their own in the game's waning moments as they forced four straight Ram timeouts as WSSU was unable to inbound the ball versus the tight Trojan defense.
However, it would be too little, too late as the Rams would seal the victory at the free throw line, en route to the 14-point lead.
Leading the way for the Rams was Rashad McGee who led three Rams into double figure scoring with 13 points. He was joined by Audly Wehner who tallied 12 points and Alleggrie Guinn who tallied 10.
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Kanadi Hall led Virginia State, and all scorers, with a game-high 17 points. He was joined by only Rodney Henry who tallied 14 points.
With the win, the Rams improve to 12-5 overall (5-1 CIAA, 1-1 CIAA West) while the Trojans fall to 9-9 overall (3-4 CIAA, 2-2 CIAA East) with the loss.
WSSU returns to action on Saturday, January 29th, 2005 at 4:00 pm when they welcome 13th ranked (NCAA Division II) Bowie State University to the CE Gaines Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State University.
For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, 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
