November 27, 2004

With An Injury-Depleted Lineup The Rams Defeat North Florida 69-66

Nov. 27, 2004

Winston-Salem, NC - Despite playing without the services of their leading scorer and 2003-04 CIAA Rookie of the Year Audly Wehner, the Rams were able to hand the much taller North Florida Ospreys a 69-66 defeat on Saturday afternoon at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC as WSSU reeled off its fourth consecutive victory.

The Rams would never trail as they scored the first field goal of the game 46 seconds into the matchup and led for the remaining 39:14 of the contest. The game was tied only at the opening tip and the Rams were able to secure their fourth win of the young 2004-05 basketball season.

For the third time in the Rams' five contests, WSSU would shoot over 50% from the field as they connected on 23 of their 42 shots in the game (.548), establishing their dominance over the visiting Ospreys in the second half as they scorched the nets with a blistering 66.7% shooting performance in the games' final 20 minutes.

Despite hitting two of every three shots that they took in the second half, the Rams would never lead by more than six points in the game as the Ospreys were the beneficiary of strong bench play that kept the contest close.

North Florida would get a 40-point contribution from their bench (in comparison to a 12 point contribution from the WSSU reserves) as they chipped away at the host-team Rams' lead, cutting it to as little as two points with only eight seconds remaining.

However, free throws by freshman guard Roy Peake (Fr./Thomasville, NC) and junior guard Alleggrie Guinn (Jr./Charlotte, NC) would seal the win as the Ospreys' last-ditch effort to tie the contest glanced off of the rim as time expired.

WSSU was led by Guinn who recorded 24 points in the contest on eight for 12 shooting from the floor, including going two-for-three from behind the three-point arch. He chipped in with four rebounds and a pair of assists as well.

Guinn was joined in double-figure scoring by Peake who tallied 10 points, two rebounds, and three assists, and Rashad McGee (Sr./Waxhaw, NC) who turned in a 13-point performance.

The Ospreys were led by Anthony Earl, Jr. who recorded 17 points in a losing effort. With the win, the Rams improve to 4-1 overall (0-0 CIAA) and are the winners of their last four games. The Ospreys fall to 1-5 overall (0-0 Peach Belt) with the loss.

The Rams return to action on November 30th, 2004 as they travel to Charlotte, NC to take on Queens (N.C) University at 7:30 pm. The Rams will look to extend their win streak over the Royals to two games as WSSU defeated then #7 Queens last season 76-56 on January 3rd, 2004.

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 wssurams.com