Feb. 10, 2004

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Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team got exactly what they needed on Tuesday evening...they got a win. The Rams, who had lost two straight games and five of their last six contests posted a 113-91 victory over their closest CIAA rival, the Blue Bears of Livingstone College in which WSSU posted its highest point total in over two seasons.

The game was a very close contest for the majority of the first 15 minutes of play as the two teams traded field goals and nearly shot the lights out of the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum with both clubs shooting above 50% from the floor during that span.

However, the Rams would ratchet up their defensive intensity, forcing 13 Blue Bear turnovers in the first half, and Livingstone's shooting would cool considerable as WSSU gradually increased their lead.

The Rams pushed their lead to a first-half high of 14 points with 2:29 remaining in the first period of play when Vince Sessoms (Sr./F/6'3"/190/Kinston, NC) tallied five straight points as he converted an old-fashioned three point play and then capped his run with a pair of free throws. The Blue Bears responded with a pair of free throws of their own to cut trim the lead to 13, but as was the case in the first half, the Rams immediately responded.

The 14-point lead would hold true as the Ram faithful watched six-time CIAA Rookie of the Week Audly Wehner (Fr./F/6'5"/Fayetteville, NC) hit a 14 footer as time expired in the half to keep WSSU's lead at 14 points with the score 51-37. The Rams were led by Wehner who tallied 17 points in the first half on seven of eight shooting to lead all scorers.

The second half of play saw the Rams come busting out of the locker room with a 13-2 run in which senior guard Jay Maynard (Sr./G/6'1"/Jacksonville, NC), who was playing in his final home game in a Ram uniform, hit three straight three-point field goals as he scored nine of his 22 total points in just over a minute and a half.

That run was a precursor of things to come as the Rams would continue to roll. Wehner tallied another 12 points in the second twenty minutes of play, bringing his total to a game-high 29 points. He grabbed five rebounds as well in the victory.

In all, the Rams would see four players in double figures as Wehner tallied 29, Maynard had 22, Alleggrie Guinn (So./G/6'3"/Charlotte, NC) tallied 14 points and junior point-guard Rashad McGee (Jr./5'10"/G/Waxhaw, NC) recorded 14 points as well.

Leading the way for the Blue Bears was Thomas Hughes who tallied 23 points in a losing effort.

With the win, the Rams improve to 15-9 overall (6-7 CIAA) and 3-5 in the Western Division. The Blue Bears fall to 3-20 overall (2-13 CIAA) and 0-8 in the Western Division and all but assure themselves of earning the lowest seed in the upcoming CIAA Tournament.

The Rams will return to action on Saturday, February 14th, 2004 at 7:30 pm when they will face Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC in a nationally-televised contest versus the Broncos.