Jan. 25, 2005

Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams will get back into the swing of CIAA basketball on Tuesday evening as they play host to the Trojans of Virginia State University at the LJVM Coliseum Annex at 7:30 pm looking to put the brakes on a two-game WSSU losing skid to Virginia State. WSSU enters the game with an 11-5 overall record while the Trojans will take the court sporting a 9-8 overall mark.

Complete Game Notes...Complete game notes for this matchup between the Rams and the Trojans are available at the following link: Men's Game Notes

Rams Vs. Trojans...Meeting one of one during the 2004-05 regular season...Tuesday's game is the second game of the evening following the women's contest...WSSU is ranked #7 in the South Atlantic Region with several other CIAA teams also ranked...Rams enter the game on a two-game winning streak...Trojans enter the contest riding a one-game losing streak...Rivalry between the Trojans and Rams may be one of the fiercest in the CIAA...Virginia State won the last meeting on February 25th, 2004 (67-58) to bounce the Rams from the CIAA Tournament, but has won only three of the last twelve head-to-head meetings...WSSU is coming off of a 76-72 win over the Bears of Shaw last Thursday...WSSU had Saturday off due to weather forcing the postponement of the WSSU versus St. Paul's game ...VSU's most recent contest was a 70-69 loss to Livingstone College in Petersburg on Thursday.

Coaching Matchups...This game will pit WSSU head coach Philip Stitt versus John Hill...Stitt, in his fourth season, has amassed a record of 64-38 overall, while John Hill is in his 3rd season and has an overall coaching record of 30-35...Stitt is 4-2 versus VSU and Hill in his head coaching career.

Coaching Tidbits...WSSU head coach Philip Stitt has posted a road record of 23-15 in four seasons on the WSSU bench...As well, he has posted a record of 13-10 in CIAA road games...Stitt and the Rams have posted a 4-2 record at home this season and are 1-0 in the LJVM Coliseum Annex.

1000 Point Watch...Alleggrie Guinn, a junior from Charlotte, NC is closing in on the 1,000 point mark. Through two and a half seasons, Guinn has tallied 884 points. Guinn has appeared in 73 games for the Rams, starting 53 of them. He has averaged 12.10 points per game throughout his career at WSSU, scoring 265 points as a freshman, 367 points as a sophomore, and 252 thus far in 2004-05 (as a junior). With 11 regular-season games remaining, Guinn needs only 116 points, or an average of 10.54 points per game to shatter the 1,000 plateau during the 2004-05 regular season.

CIAA Eastern Division Vs. WSSU...The contest between the two teams will be the Rams fourth game versus the CIAA's Eastern Division in 2004-05 with the Rams posting a 3-0 record thus far this season...WSSU defeated then-#1, and now-#2 in the nation Virginia Union on January 4th, 2005 by the score of 76-62; defeated Elizabeth City State on January 6th, 2005 by the score of 60-46; and defeated Shaw University last Thursday, January 20th, 2005 by the score of 76-72...WSSU looks to stay perfect versus the CIAA's Eastern Division in 2004-05 if they can defeat Virginia State tonight...The Rams also faced Eastern-Division member St. Paul's in a non-conference game on November 20th, 2004 and defeated the Tigers 85-53.

The Last Meeting...The last meeting between the Rams and the Trojans came on February 25th, 2004 as Virginia State ended the Rams' season by defeating WSSU 67-58 in the first round of the CIAA Tournament. The defeat was a bit of revenge for the Trojans as the Rams had ended the Trojans' season the previous season (2002-03) in the first round of the CIAA Tournament by the score of 54-49. The two team have met each other in the first round of the tournament for the past two seasons. Virginia State swept a pair of games from WSSU last season, winning not only in the CIAA Tournament, but defeating the Rams in Petersburg, VA in overtime earlier in the season (January 21st, 2004) by the score of 73-66. That contest was one in which Audly Wehner had his three-game streak of not missing a field goal attempt snapped.

About The Rams...The 2003-04 Rams finished the season with an overall mark of 16-12 and a CIAA record of 6-10, good enough to finish in fourth place in the CIAA's Western Division. The Rams have nine letter-winners returning and lose only four players from last season's team. The Rams return four starters during the upcoming 2004-05 season and will welcome a plethora of newcomers (7 in total).

Rams Picked Fifth...The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association held its annual men's and women's basketball media and coaches exchange on Thursday, October 6th, 2004 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley Hotel where the 2004-05 All-CIAA Pre-Season Teams and predicted order of finish were announced to coaches, administrators and media members. The Rams of Winston-Salem State University were picked to finish fifth in the Western Division, ahead of only the Blue Bears of Livingstone. The predicted order of finish selections were unkind to the Rams as they have been picked to finish ahead of only Livingstone a team that fnished last in 2003-04. However, the Rams split the 2003-04 season series' with three of the four teams that have been picked to finish behind. The Virginia Union University Panthers, the defending CIAA champions, are picked to win the CIAA's Eastern Division, and the Broncos of Fayetteville State are picked to pull to the forefront in the CIAA's Western Division. WSSU will have try to prove the skeptics wrong in 2004-05 as they look to again become CIAA champions.

TV Coverage...There is no television coverage for Thursday's contest versus Virginia State University. Check out the official website of WSSU Athletics at wssurams.com for future television updates and times. The Rams may appear on television as many as three times during the 2004-05 regular season, and will appear on ESPN 2/ESPN Classic during the 2005 CIAA Tournament due to the recent deal between the CIAA and ESPN to televise the entire 2005 tournament live on TV.

Radio Coverage...The game between the Rams and Viginia State University will be available to listeners in the greater Winston-Salem area on WSNC, FM 90.5 with Sam Harley and the "Voice of the Rams", Bill Franklin calling all the action as well as nationally on the internet at www.wssu.edu by clicking on the link: "Listen to WSNC." Visiting radio will broadcast the game on WVST 91.3 FM with Sean Robertson calling the play-by-play and James Yeldell providing color commentary.

WSSU's Last Game...The Rams are coming off of a win over the Bears of Shaw University by the score of 76-72 on January 20th, 2005. The win was the Rams second in a row and third over a team from the CIAA's Eastern Division. The contest marked the first game of three that the Rams will play the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Annex during the 2004-05 basketball season. The Rams were paced by Audly Wehner who led three Rams in double figures with 20 points on the night. Alleggrie Guinn chipped in with 18 points and Darrell Wonge tallied a career-high 11 points, including a three-of-four performance from three-point range. The Rams improved to 11-5 on the season with the win, and increased their CIAA record to an impressive 4-1 overall. WSSU will take to the court again on Tuesday, January 25th, 2005 at 7:30 pm at the LJVM Annex when they face off against Virginia State.

Sharp Shooting?...The Rams have shot 50% or better from the field in seven games this season, and have won all but one of those contests (wins versus Saint Paul's, Concord, North Florida, Mars Hill, Virginia Union and Elizabeth City State University and a loss to St. Augustine's).

Turnover Anyone?...The Rams, as of press time, are forcing an amazing 20.2 opponent turnovers per contest. At the same time, WSSU is turning the ball over only 16.4 times per game for an advantage of 3.8 turnovers per game. That turnover margin is second in the CIAA with nationally-ranked Virginia Union (#2) leading the CIAA with a +7.29 turnover margin (20.4 forced turnovers/13.1 turnovers) (Through games of 01/23/05).

Stealing Wins...How do the Rams average 20.2 opponent turnovers per game this season? By stealing the ball away from the opposition. WSSU is averaging an astonishing 10.8 steals per game in 2004-05. That 10.8 steals per game average leads the CIAA statistical rankings. (Through game of 01/23/05).

Ranked Fourth and Ninth In The Entire CIAA...Sophomore forward Audly Wehner is currently fourth in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association rankings in terms of scoring as he is averaging 16.6 points per contest. WSSU's Alleggrie Guinn is also in the top-10 in scoring (9th) as he is averaging 15.8 points per contest, ranking 8th in the CIAA in scoring (Through games of 01/23/05).

Long-Arm Robbery...Junior guard Alleggrie Guinn is ranked fourth in the CIAA in steals per game as he is snaring 2.53 of them per game. He is joined by teammate Terris Sifford who, using his wing span, is averaging 1.87 steals per game which puts him in 9th in the CIAA rankings tied with teammate Rashad McGee (Through games of 01/23/05).

Freshman Giving...WSSU's highly-touted freshman guard Roy Peake is second in the CIAA's ranking in assist to turnover ratio as he is averaging 2.93 assists per turnover. His second place ranking (behind only Virginia Union's Juqman Jaaber) takes over for last season's CIAA leader, teammate Rashad McGee, who led the conference in assist to turnover ratio during the 2003-04 season (Through games of 01/23/05).

Very Deep...Depth is a key for the Rams as the 2004-05 team can go as many as 13 players deep. WSSU has not a single one player in the CIAA's top-20 in minutes per game (Alleggrie Guinn is 22nd with 28.01 mpg ) as Philip Stitt will go to his bench early and often this sesaon. (Through games of 01/23/05).

History Repeats Itself...WSSU once again leads the conference in steals, just like the '03-04 season. WSSU is averaging an impressive 10.8 steals per game. The next closest team to the Rams are the Falcons of Saint Augustine's who are averaging 10.47 per contest. (Through games of 01/23/05).

Scouting VSU...The Trojans enter into the contest versus the Rams with an overall record of 9-8 and a CIAA record of 3-3, with a 2-2 mark in the Eastern Division (through games of 01/23/05). The Trojans are coming off of a one-point loss to Livingstone in Petersburg, VA on Thursday as they fell to the upstart Blue Bears at home.

Middle Of The Pack...The Trojans are sitting in the middle of the pack in the CIAA's ultra-competitive Eastern Division. With a 3-3 record in the conference, and a 2-2 record in the division, the Trojans are looking to become one of the teams that may be able to clinch a first-round bye in the CIAA basketball tournament.

6.10 Blocks...The Trojans are averaging an astounding 6.10 blocks per game thus far during the 2004-05 season. Virginia State ranks first in the CIAA in blocked shots per game.