Feb. 11, 2005

Winston-Salem, NC - The first-place Winston-Salem State University Rams (17-5, 10-1 CIAA, 5-1 CIAA West) will go looking for their ninth consecutive win of 2004-05 on Saturday evening at the LJVM Coliseum at 8:00 pm as they play host to their arch-rival, Johnson C. Smith University (13-9, 7-4 CIAA, 4-2 CIAA West) in a CIAA Western Division basketball contest.

Complete Game Notes...To access the complete game notes for this contest, click the following link: COMPLETE GAME NOTES

Gametracker Live Stats...The contest between WSSU and Johnson C. Smith will be broadcast on the Internet using live statistical software. To access the software, visit www.WSSURAMS.com and access the men's basketball schedule page, where you can click on the GAMETRACKER link.

WSSU Update...The Rams are currently sporting a 17-5 overall record, and have moved to 10-1 in the CIAA (5-1 CIAA West) with Thursday's 62-57 win over Livingstone College at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC. WSSU is riding an eight-game win streak and is now receiving votes in the weekly NABC Division II national polls. The Rams are sitting alone atop the CIAA's Western Division as WSSU has only one conference loss, to the Falcons of Saint Augustine's. The Rams avenged that loss this past Tuesday as they snuck by the Falcons at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Annex.

WSSU Vs. J.C. Smith - The First Meeting Of 2004-05...The Rams and Golden Bulls met on January 15th, 2005 at the Legacy Classic in Charlotte, NC. WSSU won that meeting on a last-second Curtis Hines 17-footer at the buzzer to earn a 71-70 victory.

Rams Vs. Golden Bulls...Meeting two of two during the 2004-05 regular season with the Rams winning the first meeting at the 2005 Legacy Classic by the score of 71-70 on a last-second shot by Curtis Hines...Saturday's game is the second game of the evening with the women's contest being played on campus at 4:00 pm...WSSU is ranked #6 in the South Atlantic Region with four other CIAA teams also ranked...Rams enter the game on an eight-game win streak...Golden Bulls enter the contest riding a two-game win streak and are coming off of a 83-76 win over Virginia State on Tuesday...Rivalry between the Rams and Golden Bulls may be the fiercest in the CIAA...WSSU won the last head-to-head meeting on January 15th, 2005 at the Charlotte Coliseum by the score of 71-70...The Golden Bulls have won seven of the last 12 head-to-head matchups as neither team has won more than three consecutive games versus the other...WSSU is coming off of a 62-57 win over the Blue Bears of Livingstone College on Thursday...WSSU has defeated two ranked opponents thus far this season...Eight-game win streak is WSSU's longest of the 2004-2005 season.

Coaching Matchups...This game will pit WSSU head coach Philip Stitt versus Steve Joyner...Stitt, in his fourth season, has amassed a record of 70-38 (.648) overall, while Joyner is in his 18th season at JCSU and has an overall coaching record of 323-195 (.623) as he is Johnson C. Smith's all-time winningest basketball coach...Stitt is 2-3 versus JCSU all-time.

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 978 points. Guinn has appeared in 79 games for the Rams, starting 59 of them. He has averaged 12.37 points per game throughout his career at WSSU, scoring 265 points as a freshman, 367 points as a sophomore, and 335 thus far in 2004-05 (as a junior). With five regular-season games remaining, Guinn needs only 22 points, or an average of 4.4 points per game to shatter the 1,000 plateau during the 2004-05 regular season.

CIAA Eastern Division Vs. WSSU...The contest between Bowie State and the Rams was WSSU's fifth game versus the CIAA's Eastern Division in 2004-05 with the Rams posting a 5-0 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 on Thursday, January 20th, 2005 by the score of 76-72 before defeating Virginia State on January 25th, 2005 (66-52) and Bowie State last Saturday (January 29th, 2005)...WSSU looks to stay perfect versus the CIAA's Eastern Division in 2004-05 if they can defeat St. Paul's later this season...The Rams 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 Bowie State in second, Virginia Union in third, North Carolina Central in seventh, Winston-Salem State in sixth, and Johnson C. Smith in eighth. The Rams have defeated Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith as well as Bowie State and North Carolina Central (a week ago [Saturday] in Durham, NC, 86-81 in overtime).

TV Coverage...There is no television coverage for Saturday's contest versus Johnson C. Smith. 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 agreement between the CIAA and ESPN to televise the 2005 tournament live on TV.

Radio Coverage...The game between the Rams and Golden Bulls 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." Johnson C. Smith radio is unannounced as of press time.

WSSU's Last Game...The Rams are rolling as of late. WSSU has won eight consecutive games, and is atop the CIAA's Western Division with a conference record of 10-1 and a division record of 5-1. WSSU has defeated every CIAA team at least once this season with their only league loss coming to Saint Augustine's College on January 11th, 2005 in Raleigh, NC. The Rams have not lost since January 11th, 2005 and started their current win streak of eight games off when they defeated the Golden Bulls at the 2005 Legacy Classic at the Charlotte Coliseum on a last-second Curtis Hines jumper at the buzzer, pulling out a 71-70 come-from-behind victory. WSSU has gone to overtime three times this season, winning all three games, the most recent of which was a 78-74 win over Saint Augustine's College on Tuesday. Prior to that, the Rams defeated North Carolina Central (02/05/05) in overtime as well. WSSU has posted a record of 13-4 in games decided by 10 or less points this season.

Scouting JCSU...The Golden Bulls enter into the contest versus the Rams with an overall record of 13-9 and a CIAA record of 7-4 (through games of 02/08/05). Four of five Golden Bull starters are averaging near the double-figure mark as they are led by Charles Clark who is tallying 14.0 points per game. He is joined in double-figures by John Fulton (13.5 ppg), Chris Clyburn (11.8 ppg) and Benjamin Chasten (11.2 ppg).

Scoring In Bunches...The Golden Bulls are one of the CIAA's most prolific scoring teams. JCSU is averaging 80.1 points per game in 2004-05 (in comparison to WSSU's 70.1 points per game average). The tempo of Saturday's game may very well dictate the outcome as the Golden Bulls look to push the ball and create numerous offensive opportunities while the Rams will try to establish a half-court offense. However, the Rams are not afraid to run, as evidenced by Thursday's game versus Livingstone.

WSSU Is...11-2 when leading a contest at halftime. The Rams are 5-3 when trailing a game at halftime and have won their only game of the season that was tied at the halftime intermission.

WSSU Is...2-2 when they shoot less than 40% from the field. The 2003-04 Rams were 6-8 when they shot less that 40% from the field last season.

WSSU Is...10-4 when they are outrebounded by an opponent. Last season WSSU was 10-1 when they outrebounded their opponent. They lost only one time when they outrebounded their opponent. That loss came versus Virginia Union on 12-13-03 when they tallied two more rebounds than the Panthers and lost by three points.

WSSU is...6-1 when they allow opponents to shoot better than 50% from the floor. Last season WSSU was 7-5 when they held their opponents to between a 40% and 49% shooting percentage from the floor. WSSU won their last game, an 83-80 decision over Mars Hill when the Lions shot 52.9% from the field (the Rams shot 61.4% on FG).

WSSU Is...10-1 when they score the first points of a game. Last season WSSU was 11-6 when scoring first. WSSU liked to get ahead early and when they did posted an impressive 68.7% winning percentage when scoring first.

WSSU Was...Undefeated (7-0) when shooting 50% or better from behind the three-point arch. This season the Rams are 105 for 296 from behind the 3-point line (35.5%) and have won all three games in which they shot 50% or better from long range.

WSSU Is...12-2 when tallying 10 or more steals in 2004-05. The Rams are averaging an astonishing 10.03 steals per game this season and have only recorded less than ten steals in eight games this season (losses versus USC-Upstate, North Florida and St. Augustine's and wins over #1 Virginia Union and ECSU, NC Central, St. Aug, and FSU).

WSSU Is...9-4 in games decided by five points or less. WSSU earned wins over Lenoir-Rhyne, North Florida, Mars Hill, Johnson C. Smith, Shaw, Bowie State and NCCU, Livingstone St. Aug and lost to USC-Upstate, North Florida, Lenoir-Rhyne, and St. Augustine's College when the game was decided by five or less points (12 games total). WSSU is proving to be very successful in close games.