Jan. 27, 2005

Winston-Salem, NC - Could lightning strike twice in the same season, in the same gym? That is the question that Ram fans are asking as they look ahead to this weekend's match up with the 13th ranked Bulldogs of Bowie State University. The Rams will take their 12-5 overall record versus the Bulldogs who are sporting a 15-2 record overall as the two teams tip-off from the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC in an intra-divisional CIAA league basketball game. Both the Rams and Bulldogs have handed #1 Virginia Union losses this season, as they are the only two teams to defeat the nation's top-ranked team.

Complete Game Notes... For a complete set of games notes (PDF) CLICK HERE 

WSSU Update...The Rams are coming off of a win last Tuesday evening at the LJVM Coliseum Annex as they defeated the Trojans of Virginia State by the score of 66-52. The Rams improved to 12-5 overall (5-1 CIAA, 1-1 Western Division) with the win as they would take the lead for good 5:41 into the contest en route to their third straight win. WSSU would be the beneficiaries of Rashad McGee's team-high 13 points en route to the win. He was joined in double figures by Alleggrie Guinn with ten points as he recorded his 13th double-digit scoring performance of the season. Audly Wehner helped the Rams with his 12 points and seven rebounds, and Terris Sifford led all rebounders with 10 boards, seven coming on the defensive glass. The Rams, winners of three straight games, will take their #8 regional ranking (S. Atlantic) up against the 13th-ranked Bowie State Bulldogs on Saturday.

Rams Vs. #13 Bulldogs...Meeting one of one during the 2004-05 regular season...Saturday's game is the second game of the evening following the women's contest...WSSU is ranked #8 in the South Atlantic Region with five other CIAA teams also ranked, including the Bulldogs who are 3rd in the region and 13th in the nation...Rams enter the game on a three-game winning streak...Bulldogs enter the contest riding a five-game win streak and are coming off of a victory over #1 Virginia Union...Rivalry between the Bulldogs and Rams has been one of the fiercest in the CIAA as of late...Winston-Salem State won the last meeting on November 29th, 2003 (75-72) in Bowie, MD...BSU has won three of the last four head-to-head meetings but only four of the last 12...WSSU is coming off of a 66-52 win over the Trojans of Virginia State on Tuesday...WSSU and BSU are the only two teams to have defeated top-ranked Virginia Union University this season...Bowie State won the CIAA Championship for the first time in 2003 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four.

Coaching Matchups...This game will pit WSSU head coach Philip Stitt versus Luke D'Alessio...Stitt, in his fourth season, has amassed a record of 65-38 (.631) overall, while Luke D'Alessio is in his 6th season at Bowie State and has an overall coaching record of 114-51 (.690)...Stitt is 1-2 (.333) versus BSU and D'Alessio in his head coaching career...D'Alessio is 2-1 (.666) versus Stitt while at Bowie State and has an overall mark versus WSSU of three wins and two losses (.600).

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 894 points. Guinn has appeared in 74 games for the Rams, starting 54 of them. He has averaged 12.08 points per game throughout his career at WSSU, scoring 265 points as a freshman, 367 points as a sophomore, and 262 thus far in 2004-05 (as a junior). With 10 regular-season games remaining, Guinn needs only 106 points, or an average of 10.60 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 fifth game versus the CIAA's Eastern Division in 2004-05 with the Rams posting a 4-0 record thus far this season...WSSU defeated #1 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 before defeating Virginia State on January 25th, 2005 (66-52)...WSSU looks to stay perfect versus the CIAA's Eastern Division in 2004-05 if they can defeat Bowie State Saturday...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.

CIAA Has Five Of Top Ten...The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is showing just how much quality talent is within the men's basketball ranks this season as five of the top ten teams in the South Atlantic Region Rankings are members of the CIAA, and a Ram opponent from this season sits at #1 in the region. USC-Upstate, who narrowly defeated the Rams this season is atop the region with the CIAA's Virginia Union in second, Bowie State in third, North Carolina Central in fifth, Winston-Salem State in eighth, and Johnson C. Smith in ninth. The Rams have defeated Virginia Union and Johnson C.Smith and will face Bowie State on Saturday in Winston-Salem, and North Carolina Central next Saturday in Durham, NC.

TV Coverage...There is no television coverage for Saturday's contest versus Bowie 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 Bowie 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 is unannounced as of press time.

WSSU's Last Game...The Rams are coming off of a win over the Trojans of Virginia State University by the score of 66-52 on January 25th, 2005 at the LJVM Coliseum Annex. The win was the Rams third in a row and fourth over a team from the CIAA's Eastern Division. The contest marked the second 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 Rashad McGee who led three Rams in double figures with 13 points on the night. Alleggrie Guinn chipped in with 10 points and Audly Wehner tallied 10 points in the victory. The Rams improved to 12-5 on the season with the win, and increased their CIAA record to an impressive 5-1 overall. WSSU will take to the court again this Saturday, January 29th, 2005 at 4:00 pm at the C.E. Gaines Center on campus when they face off against the 13th-ranked Bowie State University Bulldogs.

Scouting BSU...The Bulldogs enter into the contest versus the Rams with an overall record of 15-2 and a CIAA record of 6-1, with a 3-0 mark in the Eastern Division (through games of 01/26/05). The Bulldogs are coming off of an 80-65 win over #1 Virginia Union in Richmond, VA on Tuesday as they handed the Panthers their second loss of the season (the other coming to the Rams).

Leader Of The Pack...The Bulldogs are now sitting alone atop the CIAA Eastern Division as they handed the Panthers their first division loss. The Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 in the division and are 6-1 overall with their lone CIAA loss coming to North Carolina Central (79-77) on January 10th, 2005.

One Of Two...The Bulldogs lost to North Carolina Central on January 10th, 2005 marking only their second loss of the year. The other came at Salem International on January 3rd, by the score of 97-77.

It's Been A While...The Rams are looking to once again crack back into the national rankings and make it inside of the NCAA Division II Top-25. Did you know, that the Rams have not been ranked since February 19th, 2001 when they were ranked 19th in the nation. The Rams's highest ranking of the last five years came on February 28th, 2000 when they were ranked as high as 15th in the nation. The 12-5 Rams of 2004-05 are currently ranked 8th in the South Atlantic region and are looking to make the push into the top-25.

Head Coach Philip Stitt...WSSU Head Coach Philip Stitt just finished his third season as the Head Coach of the Rams' men's basketball team. Stitt led the Rams to a 22-7 record in 2001-02, a 15-14 record in 2002-03, and a 16-12 record last season (2003-04). Stitt has been a part of two Winston-Salem State University CIAA Championships, and five trips to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure. He was named the CIAA's Coach of the Week for the week-ending November 28th as he had led the Rams to five straight wins (5-1 overall) and he was recently named CIAA Coach of the Week three weeks ago for leading the Rams to wins over #1 Virginia Union (01/04/05) and Elizabeth City State (01/06/05). WSSU is now 12-5 overall after falling to Saint Augustine's College 75-71 in Raleigh, NC and defeating Johnson C. Smith University 71-70 (01/15/05), Shaw University 76-72 at the LJVM Coliseum Annex (01/20/05) and Virginia State 66-52 (01/25/05).

Bowie State's Last Game...Richmond, VA - (January 25, 2005) In the most anticipated game of the season, the Bulldogs of Bowie State completely dismantled the #1 ranked Panthers of Virginia Union 80-65 at the Virginia Commonwealth University Siegel Center. There was never any question which team is better, as Bowie State controlled the game from beginning to end. The victory puts the Bulldogs in sole possession of first place in the CIAA Eastern Division with a record of 3-0 and 15-2 overall. "We caught them off guard, played tough defense and jumped in them early," said BSU's Cook. Lee Cook and Attila Cosby controlled the inside while Brent Campbell bombed away from the outside. Cook and Cosby led Bowie State in the first half with 12 and 10 points respectively and Campbell added another 9 points. The Bulldogs dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Panthers 30 to 19 in the first twenty minutes and led 40-26 at intermission. Virginia Union (13-2/5-2 in the CIAA) did manage to come within nine at 53-44 with just under 8 minutes left in the contest but would get no closer. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 61.9% in the second half (13 of 21) and were paced by senior Isaiah Johnson with 19 points. Lee Cook and Attila Cosby pumped in 15 each and Brent Campbell added another 14. Cosby led both teams in rebounds with 12. Duan Crocket led Virginia Union with 13 points followed by Darius Hargrove and Quincy Smith with 11 points apiece. It should come as no surprise that the much taller Bulldogs outrebounded the Panthers 53 to 33. "Virginia Union has a tremendous program and a Hall of Fame Coach, but we knew we had to hold them to low points and knew we had to score points to beat them," said BSU Head Coach Luke D'Aleesio. Bowie State travels to Winston-Salem State - Saturday (1/29) to face the Rams in a 4:00 p.m. contest.