Feb. 22, 2005
Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams earned their 20th win of the season on Tuesday evening at the LJVM Coliseum as they would never trail the visiting Eagles of North Carolina Central en route to moving to 20-6 overall (13-2 CIAA, 8-2 CIAA West) on the season.
The first half of play was uncharacteristically up-tempo for two ball-control offensive teams that came into the contest averaging less than 70 points per game each.
However, the fast-paced style would benefit the Rams more-so than their Eagle counterparts as WSSU used the speed of the contest to force opposition turnovers which they turned into transition buckets and easy points.
The Rams forced 11 North Carolina Central turnovers during the contest's first 20 minutes of play which they gleefully converted into 11 points, which, coincidentally would be the cushion that WSSU would take to the locker room for halftime intermission.
WSSU led by as many as 16 points during the first half as North Carolina Central would find themselves trying to dig out of a hole for almost the entire first half.
Leading 29-14 with only 4:26 to play in the half, the Rams faltered a bit, allowing the Eagles to get to within 11 points only two minutes later, as it looked as though NCCU would make a run to close the half.
However, the Rams responded and pushed their lead to the half-high 16 points on a lay up in the paint by Terris Sifford.
NCCU would chip back with free throws, ultimately facing an 11-point deficit as the half came to a close.
The second half of play was one that saw the Rams dominate from start to finish as North Carolina Central would cut the WSSU lead to single-digits only once en route to their largest loss of the year.
WSSU's bench and depth would prove to be the difference in the second half of play as the Ram reserves chipped in with 18 points, contributing key minutes that helped keep the Rams fresh.
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WSSU was led by Alleggrie Guinn who recorded a game-high 21 points in the contest, on six of ten shooting from the field as he also added a five for five performance from the free throw line.
Joining Guinn in double figures was Audly Wehner with 15 points and Darnell Gregory with 10 points.
NCCU was led by Curtis Knight and Jonathan Moore who recorded 11 points each in a losing effort.
The Rams improve to 20-6 overall and move to 13-2 in the CIAA (8-2 CIAA West) with the win while NCCU falls to 15-10 overall (9-7 CIAA, 3-6 CIAA West) with the loss.
The Rams will return to action on Thursday, February 24th, 2005 at 7:30 PM as they close out the regular season at Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA. The Rams and Tigers met earlier in the 2004-05 season with WSSU emerging victorious by the score of 85-53 on November 20th, 2004. The Rams will look to complete the six-game of the CIAA's Eastern Division by winning versus SPC.
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
