Jan. 28, 2006

Final Stats

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - In a meeting between the top two men's basketball teams in the CIAA Western Division, the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith earned a hard-fought 71-62 league win over the Rams of Winston-Salem State University at the Joel Coliseum Annex on Saturday evening in Winston-Salem, NC.

The Rams opened action with a 5-0 run to start the contest as All-CIAA guard Alleggrie Guinn (Charlotte, NC) drilled a 24-foot three-pointer only 32 seconds into the game as WSSU scored the first points of the game for their fourth consecutive contest.

CIAA Rookie of the Year candidate Jamal Durham (Winston-Salem, NC) followed up Guinn's three-pointer with a thunderous dunk, and the Rams were off to an early five-point lead.

The Golden Bulls, a senior-laden team, immediately responded with a 6-0 run of their own to take their first lead of the contest with16:45 remaining in the first period of play.

The lead would change five more times in the half as the two teams battled back and forth, showcasing the skills that make both teams perennial CIAA men's basketball powers. 

The Golden Bulls relied on their size and perimeter shooting to play an inside-out game that earned them a comfortable 10-point lead at 34-24 at the halftime intermission.

Behind All-CIAA forward John Fulton (Manning, SC), the Golden Bulls closed the half on a 15-5 run over the final 7:54 seconds of play en route to their double-digit lead.

Fulton would prove to be the Rams' nemesis during the game's first 20 minutes and beyond as he recorded 11 points on three-of-five shooting with all his field goals coming from beyond the three-point arch.  He added six rebounds, a pair of free-throws and a steal in the first half as the Golden Bulls looked to be in control of the contest.

The Rams found themselves in early foul trouble in the second half as both Alleggrie Guinn and Corey Parker (Jacksonville, NC) spent considerable amounts of time watching the action from the bench.

JCSU immediately used the absence of the pair of potential All-CIAA guards to their advantage as they inched ever further away from the Rams.

The Golden Bulls increased their lead to 12 points with 7:18 remaining in the game and behind the continued hot shooting of Fulton, hung on for the important CIAA division win.

Fulton chipped in with 22 points while his in-the-paint teammate Charles Clark tallied a game-high 23 points.  Leading the way for WSSU were Jamal Durham and Curtis Hines who recorded 13 points each in the loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 12-6 overall and drop to 6-3 in the CIAA (2-1 CIAA West).  The Golden Bulls move to 14-4 overall and improve to 6-1 in the CIAA (3-1 CIAA West) as they regain the lead in the CIAA Western Division.

WSSU will return to action on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 7:30 pm as they play host to the Broncos of Fayetteville State University at the Joel Coliseum Annex as the Rams continue CIAA Western Division play. 

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

- wssurams.com -