Feb. 18, 2008

HAMPTON, VA - The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team returns to action on Monday evening in Hampton, VA as they take on the Hampton University Pirates at the HU Convocation Center as the Rams look to earn their second consecutive win.

 

Game #24 at Hampton University Notables...The Rams and the Pirates will tip-off on Monday, Feb. 18 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time at the HU Convocation Center in Hampton, VA...The two teams will meet for the second time this season...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 Pirates hold a 14-9 record overall and hold an 8-3 mark in the MEAC...The Rams enter Monday's contest with a 9-14 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 34 times and the Pirates lead the series 20-14...The Rams look to avenge their 64-62 loss to the Pirates on Jan. 21.

 

Game Details

The Winston-Salem State University Rams (9-14) versus the Hampton University Pirates (14-9, 8-3 MEAC) at the HU Convocation Center (7,200 capacity) in Hampton, VA on Feb. 18, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  The contest is a part of a MEAC doubleheader (but does not count in the standings) with the WSSU Lady Rams taking to the court at 6:00 p.m.  The men's game will tip-off 20 minutes after the completion of the women's contest. 

 

Setting the Scene

The Rams snapped a three-game losing streak with a one-point victory, 58-57, over Howard on Saturday to improve their record to 9-14, while Hampton also recorded a nail-biting win, defeating South Carolina State on a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 77-74 win. The Pirates moved to 14-9 on the season with the victory and are again in the hunt for a MEAC regular-season title.

 

The Series In Depth

The Rams and Pirates have met 34 times, including this season's meeting on Jan. 21. The Pirates lead the all-times series 20-14.  Before this year's meeting, the two programs met twice during the 1994-95 season in which the Rams went 1-1 against the Pirates.

 

Streaks

Winston-Salem State broke a three-game losing skid with a 58-57 victory over Howard and also picked up its first road win since the 2006-07 season. Hampton also walked away with a win on Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak.

 

Television Coverage

There will be no live television broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Pirates.

 

WSSU Radio Coverage

The Rams will broadcast the contest versus the Pirates 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.

 

Hampton University Radio Coverage

As of press time, there are no plans for Hampton to broadcast the game between the Rams and the Pirates.  For additional broadcast details, contact the Hampton University Office of Sports Information and Sports Information Director, Maurice Williams at (757) 727-5757.

 

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 Pirates 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. 

 

Websites

WSSURAMS.com, the official website for Winston-Salem State University athletics is the 24-hour-a-day home for breaking news, in-depth features, and colorful and informative commentary on the Rams.  WSSURAMS.com brings every Ram fan close to all the action with exclusive interviews, stories and photos of WSSU athletes and coaches, unrivaled interactive game day coverage, and a vast archive of historical and biographical information.  If it's going on in the world of WSSU Athletics, you can find it at WSSURAMs.com, the online home of the Rams.  The Official Athletic Site of the Pirates is located at hamptonpirates.com.

 

Whom To Contact

The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball contact is Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations, Chris Zona. Zona can be reached in the office at (336) 750-2143, on his cell phone at (336) 416-6452 or via email at zonac@wssu.edu.  The Hampton University men's basketball contact is Maurice Williams, Sports Information Director.  Williams can be reached in the office at (757) 727-5757, on his cell phone at (803) 842-1279, and via email at Maurice.Williams@hamptonu.edu.

 

National Rankings

Neither the Rams nor the Pirates are ranked in either the AP Top 25 poll or ESPN/USA Today poll.  Neither team has been ranked this season and neither have received votes in 2007-08.  Neither team has defeated a ranked team.

 

The Book On WSSU (9-14)

The Rams hold a 9-14 record overall and are coming off of a 58-57 victory over Howard on the road.  The win snapped a three-game losing streak and was also the team's first road win since the 2006-07 season.

 

Brian Fisher led the Rams on Saturday with 20 points and six rebounds, while Jamal Durham added 10 points and six rebounds. Roy Peake led the team with eight rebounds.

 

The Rams continue to be led by Jamal Durham who is averaging 11.4 points per game and is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.  Durham is now the only Ram averging in double figures as Darrell Wonge dropped to 9.8 points per game and is averaging 4.6 rebounds per game.

 

The Rams are shooting only 38.1 percent from the field and are allowing opponents to hit 42.6 percent of their shots.

 

The Book On Hampton (14-9)

The Pirates hold a 14-9 overall record and an 8-3 league record. Hampton improved to 14-9 after a 77-74 victory over South Carolina State.  Hampton's Vincent Simpson led three double-figure scorers with 24 points, while Rashad West and Matthew Pilgrim added 16 points and 10 points, respectively.

 

Theo Smalling led the game with 12 rebounds, while  Pilgrim and Adrian Woodard grabbed seven rebounds each.

 

West leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game, while Simpson is averaging 10.7 points per game. Smalling leads the team in rebounds and is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game. 

 

As a team, Hampton is shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc.

 

Season Two For Collins

The 2007-08 season marks the second season at WSSU for head coach Bobby Collins.  Collins, a 1991 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, enters into his sixth season as a Division I collegiate head coach and brings with him his 79-95 overall record.  Collins has posted a 14-38 overall record as head coach of the Rams. However, in his five seasons as the head coach at Hampton University (prior to coming to WSSU) he led the Pirates to a 65-57 overall record, three MEAC title-game appearances, a MEAC championship (2006), and an NCAA Tournament berth (2006).  Collins looks to improve upon his .454 winning percentage (.269 winning percentage at WSSU) with another win over Howard.

 

Second Season For Nickelberry

Hampton Head Coach Kevin Nickelberry is in his second season at the helm of the men's basketball program. In his first year as head coach, he posted records of 15-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play as the Pirates finished the regular season in third place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).  This season he has the Pirates off to a 14-9 overall record and an 8-3 record in the MEAC. 

 

Collins Versus Hampton

WSSU head coach Bobby Collins spent four seasons as the head man at Hampton before taking the same job at WSSU.  Collins has amassed an 0-1 record versus his old team since coming to WSSU.  Earlier this season, Collins led the Rams to a loss versus the Pirates in Winston-Salem in his only head-to-head meeting versus his former team.

 

Last Action

The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team erased a five-point deficit in the final 27 seconds against Howard and Jamal Durham's game-tying and game-winning free throws earned the Rams a 58-57 road win in the nation's capitol over Howard University on Saturday evening.

 

The Rams, trailing 56-51, looked to be headed for their 10th road loss of the season, and 15th consecutive road defeat dating back to last season as the Howard Bison enjoyed a five-point cushion at home in Burr Gymnasium with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game.

 

With 17 seconds to play, Darrell Wonge's bid to trim the lead to only thee points was off the mark and the shortest player on the court, WSSU senior guard Roy Peake, came down with the rebound, despite being standing only 5'10".

 

Peake, the Rams's experienced veteran with over 100 starts in his career found WSSU's Jamal Durham who was fouled on a lay-up attempt that stopped the clock with 14 seconds to play. 

 

Durham calmly hit both free throws to cut the Bison lead to only three points at 56-53 as the Rams slowly started their comeback. 

 

An immediate foul sent Howard's Eugene Myatt to the free throw line attempting to make push the lead back to five points.  Myatt, however, missed the second half of the one-and-one and WSSU's Isiah Tucker, a freshman guard who had just checked into the game for offensive purposes, hit a 22-foot three-pointer that cut Howard's lead to only one point, at 57-56 with five seconds remaining.

 

With the lead at only one point, Myatt's difficulties were not over as he turned the ball over to WSSU's Brian Fisher immediately off of the inbounds play and coupled with a Bison foul, WSSU looked poised to steal a win from the clutches of defeat.

 

Brian Fisher led the Rams with 20 points in the win as he and Durham (10 points) were the only WSSU players in double-figures in scoring.  Leading the way for Howard in the loss was Curtis White who recorded 18 points.

 

Manic Mondays

The Rams have had their share of difficulties playing on Mondays this season.  Winston-Salem State has posted a 1-6 overall record on Monday in 2007-08.

 

Sophomore Slump?

WSSU guard Brian Fisher may be hitting a sophomore slump as he has been held scoreless in two of the Rams' last five games.  Versus Norfolk State on Jan. 28 he was held scoreless for the first time in his career.  Fisher was held scoreless in the Rams' last action as he played three minutes versus the Bears of Morgan State and missed all three field goal attempts.  Fisher scored in every game that he played in last season (28 games as he sat out one game for an unspecified violation of team rules) and has scored in every game in 2007-08 except for the game on Jan. 28  and in the Rams' action at Morgan State.  Despite his recent slump he led the Rams with 20 points in their last action and earned a key steal that set up teammate Jamal Durham's game-tying and game-winning free throws at Howard on Feb. 16.

 

Tough Time In Baltimore

Since the Rams' transition to Division I, WSSU has dropped four straight games in the "Charm City".  WSSU dropped two straight games to Morgan State and dropped last season's contest at Coppin State and most recently, Monday's game against the Eagles.

 

First Half Woes

The Rams' 13 first-half points versus Morgan State marked the lowest single-half scoring output for the Rams.  The season's previous low was 20 points scored in the first half versus Wake Forest on November 23.

 

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. Last Monday's loss at Coppin State marked the Rams third straight time the team shot under 30 percent - this time WSSU shot 26.3 percent from the field.

 

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 No More

The Rams picked up their first road win against Howard on Feb. 16 - their first victory away from home since January 27, 2007 when they earned a 56-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman. On the season, WSSU is 1-9 on the road.

 

Second Three-Game Losing Streak Snapped

The Rams' one-point victory over Howard snapped a three-game losing streak and is the second time WSSU stopped the streak from extending to four games. WSSU fell to Hampton on Jan. 21 before taking two road losses to North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State. On Feb. 2, the Rams snapped the skid with a 59-57 victory over Florida A&M at home.

 

Only 12 Field Goals

The Rams recorded a season-low 12 total field goals at Morgan State on Saturday, Feb. 9.  WSSU hit four field goals in the first half and eight field goals in the second half.  The Bears' 16 first-half field goals would prove to surpass the Rams' 12 total field goals by four buckets.

 

Next Up

Following the Rams' game versus Hampton on Monday, the Rams return home for two games against Piedmont Triad rival North Carolina A&T on Feb. 23 and Norfolk State on Feb. 25.

 

A Look Back At Last Year

Winston-Salem State returns to the court in 2007-08 on the heels of a 2006-07 season which saw them post a 5-24 overall record as the Rams hosted only six home contests.  The 2006-07 season saw the Rams travel over 25,000 miles as WSSU faced 15 different Division I conferences and four ranked opponents (Notre Dame, Georgetown, Kansas, and Georgia Tech).

 

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.  Davis has a stress fracture in the tibia in his right leg and will be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes per game (10 minutes each half).  He played 18 minutes in the Rams' loss at Morgan State on Feb. 9 and 14 minutes in the Rams' loss at Coppin State.  When Davis is not on the court for the Rams he is in a walking boot to protect the stress fracture.

 

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 C.E. Gaines Center.

 

Road Woes

The Rams posted their first win on the road on Feb. 16 against Howard. Prior to the victory, WSSU dropped nine contests on the road this season and the closest WSSU came before Feb. 16th's win was a neutral site win over Lipscomb (68-58 from the American Family Insurance Cyclone Classic held at Iowa State on Nov. 10).

 

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 21 of 23 games and Brian Fisher has started 17 of 22 games.

 

Julian's First Start And Three Straight

WSSU junior forward/center Julian Murphy-Long started his third straight game of the season against Howard on Feb. 16. The Charlotte native made his first start of the season versus Morgan State on Feb. 9 and followed with a start against Coppin State two days later. Murphy-Long made his first career start on Feb. 12, 2007 at Alabama A&M where he played five minutes and missed both of his field goal attempts. 

 

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 Morgan State.

 

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 3-11 record when they are held to less than 10 steals.

 

Finally Held A Lead

The Rams' 67-61 win over Georgia State (Dec. 8) marked the first time that WSSU was able to hold on to a halftime lead in 2007-08.  WSSU held a five-point edge at the break versus GSU and held on for a six-point win.  WSSU has blown a pair of halftime leads, including a season-high 10-point advantage that they squandered in a loss to Fresno State.  The Rams have held on to four halftime leads this season in games versus Georgia State, Ferrum College, Columbia Union and Florida A&M.

 

Comeback Kids

The Rams' come-from-behind 78-76 victory over the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M (Dec. 17) marked the largest deficit of the season that the Rams have been able to overcome.  AAMU led the Rams by 19 points midway through the first half of play yet WSSU was able to battle back for a two-point victory.

 

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 10 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 Winston-Salem, NC.  The Rams, who posted a 3-3 record in home games in 2006-07, will play 14 home games this season. The Rams played a "road" contest in their home arena when they faced the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University on November 23, 2007.  This season the Rams have turned in a record of 7-5 at home.

 

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 11 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 22 games of the 2007-08 season, an average of 1.46 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.

 

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 North Carolina (eight different cities) and one player each from the states of Virginia, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Georgia.

 

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 1063-634 over the span of 61 completed seasons of men's basketball competition for a winning percentage of 62.6 percent.  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" Monroe, the Rams earned the 1967 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship.  The 1967 Rams posted an overall record of 31-1 and defeated three top-10 teams in the National Championship tournament en route to the National Championship title.

 

The House That Gaines Built

Legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines coached at Winston-Salem State University from 1946-1993 and was a fixture at WSSU until his death on April 18, 2005.  Gaines coached the Rams for 48 seasons and posted an 828-447 overall record as well as leading the Rams to the 1967 National Championship.  He still ranks as the fifth-winningest coach in NCAA history and ranks as the all-time winningest African American head basketball coach in NCAA history.