Feb. 11, 2008
Game #21 at Coppin State Notables...The Rams and the Eagles will tip-off on Monday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 pm Eastern Time at the Coppin Center in Baltimore, Maryland...The two teams will meet for the first time since Nov. 21, 2006 when WSSU was defeated by Coppin State by the score of 81-56 in Baltimore, Maryland...The game is a conference match-up as both teams are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) but does not count in the MEAC's overall standings...The Eagles hold a 6-19 record overall and sport a 2-8 mark in the MEAC...The Rams enter into the contest with an 8-13 record overall...Starting this season (2007-08) the two teams will face one another two times every year (once at home, once on the road) as part of the MEAC league schedule...The two teams have met 16 times in history with the Rams holding a 12-4 advantage in the series...The contest will mark the second consecutive season that the Rams play the Eagles on the road in Baltimore, Maryland.
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No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown Pts. Reb. Ast.
03 Brian Fisher G 6-2 178 So.
05 Isiah Tucker G 6-0 190 Fr.
32 Roy Peake G 5-11 170 Sr.
21 Jamal
20 Darrell Wonge F 6-6 210 Sr. Lakeview,
Coppin
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown Pts. Reb. Ast.
32 Julian Conyers F 6-6 210 Sr.
33 Antwan Harrison F 6-3 190 Sr. Beltsville,
34 Brian Chesnut F 6-7 235 Jr.
21 Mike Miller G 6-2 180 Sr. Lanham,
22 Tywain McKee G 6-2 170 Sr.
Game Details
The Winston-Salem State University Rams (8-13) versus the Coppin State University Eagles (6-19, 2-8 MEAC) at the
Setting the Scene
Monday's contest will mark the first contest between the two teams in 307 days as the last meeting between the two storied programs came on Nov. 21, 2007 at the
The Series In Depth
The Rams and Eagles have met 16 times in history with the Rams holding the 12-4 advantage in the series. The contest marks the second consecutive season that the two programs have faced one another. The two programs are no stranger to one another as both the Eagles and the Rams are proud HBCU's who are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Eagles won the last meeting between the two teams by the score of 81-56 on Nov. 21, 2007.
Streaks
Television Coverage
There will be no live television broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Eagles.
WSSU Radio Coverage
The Rams will broadcast the contest versus the Eagles live on the radio on WSNC 90.5 FM. WSNC is the flagship station of the Rams Radio Broadcasting Network and will carry all WSSU games live on the radio in the greater Winston-Salem, NC area and worldwide on the Internet at www.WSSU.edu. Alan Chavous will provide all the play-by-play action with Sharrod Patterson providing the color analysis.
Coppin State Radio Coverage
The Eagles will not broadcast the contest versus the Rams on the radio. For additional information on potential CSU radio broadcasts, contact the CSU Office of Sports Information for details at (410) 951-3927.
Live Statistical Broadcast
WSSU partners with CSTV Online and the Office of Athletic Media Relations will air a live statistical broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Eagles on the Internet utilizing CSTV's GAMETRACKER software application. WSSU's live statistical broadcast will be available at WSSURams.com. The broadcast is free of charge to any viewer wishing to take advantage of the live statistics feature. The Eagles will broadcast a live statistical broadcast at CoppinStateSports.com.
Websites
WSSURAMS.com, the official website for
Whom To Contact
The
National Rankings
Neither the Rams nor the Eagles are ranked in either the AP Top 25 poll or ESPN/USA Today poll. Neither team has been ranked this season and neither has received votes in 2007-08. Neither team has defeated a ranked team.
The Book On WSSU (8-11)
The Rams hold an 8-13 record overall and enter into Monday's contest riding a two-game losing streak following their disappointing 63-41 loss at
The Rams turned in one of their worst games of the season versus the Bears as they shot a dismal 28.6 percent from the field and recorded only 12 total field goals. The Bears jumped out to an early 16-4 lead and never looked back as they easily defeated the Rams and handed WSSU their second consecutive loss.
The Rams continue to be led by Jamal Durham who is averaging 12.0 points per game.
Freshman Paul Davis leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Rams are shooting only 38.7 percent from the field and are allowing opponents to hit 42.4 percent of their shots.
WSSU is still looking for their first road win of the season as the Rams have posted an 0-8 record away from home during the 2007-08 season. Counting the contest at
The Book On Coppin State (6-19)
The Eagles enter into the contest with the Rams sporting a 6-19 record overall and currently post a 2-8 record in the MEAC. Coppin State may be coming on strong late in the season as they are riding a two-game win streak, a streak that ties their longest victory streak of the season.
The Eagles are looking to record a win and push their win streak to a season-high three games. Coppin State has posted back-to-back wins for the second time this season as they are coming off of a 79-67 victory over the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University on Saturday.
The Eagles are 2-5 at home in the
McKee leads the Eagles with 4.0 rebounds per game and leads the team with 3.0 assists per game.
The Eagles are shooting 38.7 percent from the field and are allowing opponents to shoot 45.9 percent from the field.
Season Two For Collins
The 2007-08 season marks the second season at WSSU for head coach Bobby Collins. Collins, a 1991 graduate of
22nd Season For
The Eagles are led by Ron "Fang" Mitchell who is in his 22nd season as the head coach of the Eagles and is in his 30th season as a college head coach. Mitchell has posted a 348-300 overall record at
Head-To-Head Coaching Matchup
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins and
Collins Versus Coppin State
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has amassed an impressive career mark against the Eagles as he has posted a career 5-3 record versus
Collins Versus the State of
Last Action
The Rams fell victim to a combination of factors on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House as the Bears turned in one of their best single-half performances of the season, coupled with WSSU's worst single-half performance of the season as a myriad of factors combined to down the Rams by the score of 63-41.
Using a 16-4 run to start the game over the contest's first seven minutes play the Bears used a 24-9 first-half rebounding advantage, a 51.6 percent field goal shooting performance (16 of 31), nine assists on 16 first-half field goals (56.3 percent of field goals assisted upon), and a perfect half from the free throw line as Morgan State amassed a 39-13 lead after 20 minutes of play and never looked back as they recorded their 14th win of the season.
Conversely the Rams' first half was as poor a showing as the Bears' half was promising.
WSSU's 20 points came on a season-low single-half shooting percentage of 18.2 percent which surpassed the Rams' previous season-low of 21.9 percent suffered in the season-opener at
The 26-point halftime deficit, the Rams' largest deficit of the season, would prove to be too much for the young Rams to overcome as
Manic Mondays
The Rams have had their share of difficulties playing on Mondays this season.
Sophomore Slump?
WSSU guard Brian Fisher may be hitting a sophomore slump as he has been held scoreless in two of the Rams' last four games. Versus
Tough Time In
Since the Rams' transition to Division I, WSSU has dropped three straight games in the "
Awful First Half
The Rams' 13 first-half points versus
Cold Shooting
The Rams' first-half shooting percentage of 18.2 percent versus the Bears of Morgan State on Feb. 9 marked the lowest single-half shooting percentage of the season for the Rams easily surpassing the previous single-half low of 21.9 percent that WSSU shot in the season-opener on Nov. 9 at Iowa State.
Largest Halftime Deficit
The Rams' 26-point deficit to the Bears on Saturday marked the largest halftime deficit of the season for the Rams. The Rams' previous season-high halftime deficit was 16 points.
Winless On The Road
The Rams fell to 0-8 on the road overall in 2007-08 after their loss at
13 Consecutive Road Losses
WSSU has lost 13 consecutive games on the road dating back to the 2006-07 season. The Rams have dropped all eight road contests in 2007-08 and closed the 2006-07 season with five road losses for a total of 13 straight road losses.
G-Lew A No-Show
WSSU senior forward Greg Lewis did not make the trip with the Rams to
Julian's First Start
WSSU junior forward/center Julian Murphy-Long made his first start of the season versus
Only 12 Field Goals
The Rams recorded a season-low 12 total field goals at
Next Up
Following the Rams' game versus
A Look Back At Last Year
The 30-Point Club
Darrell Wonge's 30-point performance versus the Pirates of Hampton on Jan. 21 marks the first 30-point individual scoring performance by a Ram in WSSU's Division I era and is the first time a WSSU player scored 30 points since Audly Wehner recorded 30 points at North Carolina Central on Feb. 5, 2005 a span of nearly three years (1,080 days).
Injury Update
The Rams have only one player on the injury report as freshman forward/center Paul Davis first appeared on the injury report prior to the North Carolina A&T game.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
The Rams have hosted home games in three different venues this season. WSSU is 7-5 at home this season, 1-3 in home games at the Coliseum Annex, 4-2 in home games at the LJVM Coliseum; and a perfect 2-0 in games at the
Not Road Warriors
The Rams have yet to post a win on the road in 2007-08. WSSU has dropped all eight contests on the road this season and the closest WSSU has come to posting a road win is a neutral site win over Lipscomb (68-58 from the American Family Insurance Cyclone Classic held at Iowa State on Nov. 10). WSSU will look for its first road win on Feb. 11 when it faces
Lineup Shake-Up
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has used 10 different starting lineups this season with only one Ram, Darrell Wonge, starting every contest. Senior Roy Peake has started 19 of 21 games and Brian Fisher has started 17 of 21 games.
Peake's Streak Snapped
Senior guard Roy Peake saw his streak of 21 consecutive games started snapped versus the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Feb. 2. Peake had started 21 straight games dating back to last season and had started 33 of the Rams' last 34 contests. He missed his second consecutive start on Monday, Feb. 4 versus Bethune-Cookman. Peake returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 9 at
Puckett's Buckets No More
Junior transfer Michael Puckett was as good, if not better, than advertised. Puckett led the Rams in scoring three times in the Rams' first 11 games of the 2007-08 season and recorded six games this season where he scored in double-figures.
Unfortunately for the Rams, Puckett was ruled academically ineligible (his GPA was too low) for the Spring semester of 2008 and will sit out the remainder of the Rams' season.
Commenting on Puckett's ineligibility, WSSU head coach Bobby Collins noted: "We have to get others to step up more with Mike no longer out there. It will be a big loss, but at the same time, we have some guys capable of filling his shoes."
Most Lopsided Win Since 1977-78
The 105-59 win over UMES, a 46-point margin of victory marks the Rams' most lopsided win since a 111-58 win over the Delaware State University Hornets that came in 1977-78 season.
Gotta Get To 10
When the Rams record 10 or more steals in a game they have posted a 6-3 overall record. WSSU has posted a 2-10 record when they are held to less than 10 steals.
Finally Held A Lead
The Rams' 67-61 win over
Comeback Kids
The Rams' come-from-behind 78-76 victory over the Bulldogs of
Giving Up Double-Doubles
The Rams have surrendered a double-double performance to an opponent 11 times in 2007-08 and have posted a 3-8 record when doing so.
Morris Not Redshirting
Prior to the season, WSSU head coach Bobby Collins announced his intentions to redshirt Corey Morris, a freshman center. However, Morris appeared in the contest versus Wake Forest and has since appeared in nine more games for the Rams thus indicating that Coach Collins has decided not to redshirt the man they call "Big C".
Home Sweet Home
The Rams, a team that posted 23 road games last season, will benefit from 15 contests played in
Been There, Done That
The Rams have faced teams from eight different Division I conferences this season. WSSU has faced the Big 12 (Iowa State and Kansas State) twice and the MEAC 10 times and WSSU has faced the Atlantic Sun (Lipscomb), Atlantic 10 (Duquesne), Colonial Athletic Association (Georgia State), South Western Athletic Conference (Alabama A&M), Atlantic Coast Conference (Wake Forest), Western Athletic Conference (Fresno State), and the BIG EAST (USF) one time each.
Taking Charge
The Rams have taken 32 charges through 21 games of the 2007-08 season, an average of 1.52 charges taken per contest. Seniors Darrell Wonge and Roy Peake lead the Rams with a team-high six charges drawn. Four other players have tallied at least three drawn charges this season.
Gotta Get The Shot Off
The Rams have failed to get a shot off during the 35 second shot clock limit 10 times this season. The Rams have forced opponents to commit seven shot clock violations.
Largest Lead
The Rams' largest lead of the season came on Jan. 12 when they led the Hawks of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore by 48 points. That lead came only three days after the Rams had led the Pioneers of Columbia Union by 30 points.
No Action In The Early Signing Period
The Rams have no scholarships available as WSSU added six newcomers this past off season. WSSU did not sign any student-athletes in the early signing period due to no scholarships being available.
In, But Not Completely
Though the Rams are considered a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) they are unable to compete for a championship until the 2010-11 season (per NCAA reclassification mandates). The Rams will play a full slate of MEAC games (18 conference games) but will be ineligible for a conference title, ineligible for postseason awards, and will not be listed in the MEAC statistics at seasons' end.
Movin' On Up
The Rams are currently in the third year of a five-year transition from the NCAA Division II level to the highest level of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division I level. In a drive to support rapid growth and attain higher visibility, the Board of Trustees at WSSU approved a plan for reclassification of the school's athletic programs to compete at the NCAA Division I level. WSSU, formerly a member of NCAA Division II and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) where they earned 10 conference titles and the 1967 National Championship, began the five-year reclassification process in 2005-06 and will complete the process in 2010-11.
Half-Dozen States
The 2007-08 WSSU men's basketball roster is comprised of team members from six different states. The Rams have nine players from
Increased Size
The Rams will benefit from increased height on the roster this season as all seven newcomers to the WSSU roster are at least 6'1" or taller. The Rams welcome the addition of a trio of players 6'8" (McIntoche Alcius at 6'8", Paul Davis at 6'9", and Corey Morris at 6'10") or taller and a pair of 6'4" guards (Vaudrey Funderburke and Michael Puckett) as well as adding the services of a 6'1" guard (Isiah Tucker).
62nd Year
The Rams have turned in an overall record of 1062-633 over the span of 61 completed seasons of men's basketball competition for a winning percentage of 62.4%. The Rams have turned in 49 winning seasons and have recorded only 10 losing seasons.
National Champions
Under the tutelage of legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines and behind the play of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Earl "The Pearl"
The House That Gaines Built
Legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines coached at
