March 4, 2005

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Raleigh, NC - Beating the same team three times in one season is a tall order in the ultra-competitive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), where any team can beat another on any give night. However, that is exactly what the Rams of WSSU did on Thursday evening as they earned their third win of the season over Livingstone College by the score of 58-48 in CIAA Tournament second-round action.

The Rams had a tough time in the games' early moments as the Blue Bears came out of the locker room hot, hitting five of their first six field goal attempts as Livingstone strung together a 10-2 run to start the game.

However, the Rams would settle into their offense as sophomore forward Audly Wehner (Fayetteville, NC), who missed the first two regular-season games against Livingstone with an ankle injury, completed a three-point play that brought the Rams to within three points at 10-7 with 15:45 remaining in the first half.

Only 34 seconds later, All-CIAA guard Alleggrie Guinn (Charlotte, NC) would follow up All-CIAA forward Wehner's three-point play with a long three-point field goal of his own, knotting the contest at 10-10.

The two teams would then trade field goals for the better part of the next ten minutes as the Rams would be able to open up only a five-point advantage as the Blue Bears would continue to hit timely shots, keeping the top-seeded Rams from pulling away.

The Rams would lead the contest until the 3:14 mark when a pair of Thomas Hughes free throws knotted the score at 22-22 as WSSU went nearly six minutes without a field goal.

WSSU would close the half on four consecutive points by Wehner as the All-Conference forward put home a 12-foot jumper and a pair of free throws to round out the half with WSSU holding a slim four-point lead at 26-22.

The second half would see the Rams come out strong as they put together an 11-3 run over the first three minutes and 28 seconds of the second period, opening up an 11-point advantage as they led 37-26 following a Terris Sifford (Greensboro, NC) steal, lay-up and free throw.

Alleggrie Guinn Drives To The Hoop Versus Livingstone

Livingstone College, undaunted by the Ram run, would immediately make that double-digit lead disappear with their transition game and three-point shooting.

Costly Ram turnovers and poor shooting kept the door open for the Blue Bears who trimmed the lead back to a more-manageable four points at 39-35 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Despite shooting only 33.3% (eight for 24) in the second half's first 15:30, the Rams used stingy defense to once again push their lead into the double digits, eventually earning their largest margin of the game, a 13-point advantage with just over three minutes remaining in the contest.

The 13-point lead would all but seal the Ram victory and earn WSSU a date with nationally-ranked Virginia Union University in Friday's semifinal round.

"Obviously it wasn't the most aesthetic basketball game you will ever watch. It was ugly, and I am sure it was uglier from a fan's perspective. We will have to play a whole lot better tomorrow versus Virginia Union and we know that. But tournament play is about getting over the hump, getting past difficulties like foul trouble and bad breaks, and that is what we did tonight, and we move on to tomorrow."

WSSU was led by Audly Wehner who recorded 15 points and five rebounds in the game. Wehner was joined in double-figures by Alleggrie Guinn who chipped in with 10 points, despite spending the majority of the game in foul trouble, and Terris Sifford who also recorded 10 points in the game.

Livingstone College was paced by Thomas Hughes who tallied 13 points in the game as he led three Blue Bears into double-figures in the loss.

The top-seeded Rams improve to 22-6 overall on the season and will advance to the CIAA Tournament semifinals versus the Panthers of Virginia Union. Tip-off is slated for 9:30 PM from the RBC Center with the game being broadcast live on ESPN Classic.

For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 414-9402 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com