Game Details

The Winston-Salem State University Rams (10-15) versus the Norfolk State University Spartans (14-11, 10-2 MEAC) at LJVM Coliseum Annex (4,200 capacity) in Winston-Salem, NC on Feb. 25, 2008 at 7:30 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 5:30 p.m.  The men's game will tip-off 25 minutes after the completion of the women's contest with senior day festivities taking place between games. 

Setting the Scene

The Rams are coming off of a big win, 71-63, over North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Feb. 23 picking up their 10th win of the season.  Norfolk State was upset by South Carolina State, 97-86, and fell to 14-11 overall, but still holds a comanding 10-3 record in the MEAC.

The Series In Depth

The Rams and Spartans have met 56 times, including this season's meeting on Jan. 28. The Spartans lead the all-times series 41-15.

Streaks

WSSU halted a two-game losing streak with an impressive 71-63 victory over NC A&T on Saturday and will look to win two in a row on Monday against the Spartans. Norfolk State's five-game win streak was spoiled by South Carolina State on Saturday afternoon, when SCSU won 97-86.

Television Coverage

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

WSSU Radio Coverage

The Rams will broadcast the contest versus the Spartans 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 Kim Spears providing the color analysis.

Norfolk State Radio Coverage

The Spartans will broadcast the contest between WSSU and Norfolk State on the radio on 91.1 FM WNSB with Ross Gordon calling all the play-by-play action.

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 Spartans 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 Spartans is located at nsuspartans.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 Norfolk State University men's basketball contact is Matt Michalec, Sports Information Director.  Michalec can be reached in the office at (757) 823-2628, on his cell phone at (757) 592-1245 and via email at mmichalec@nsu.edu.

National Rankings

Neither the Rams nor the Spartans 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 (10-15)

The Rams hold a 10-15 record overall and are coming off of an impressie 71-63 victory over the Aggies of NC A&T this past Saturday.

The Rams put up impressive numbers against the Aggies and Jamal Durham led four double-figure scorers with 17 points. Darrell Wonge added 16, Roy Peake added 14 and Paul Davis totaled 11 points. Davis led the Rams  with eight rebounds.

The team shot 53.2 percent for the game and shot 60.0 percent in the second half.

The Rams continue to be led by Durham who is averaging 11.7 points per game and is averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.  Durham is joined once again by Wonge in the double-figure scoring column. Wonge is averaging 10.0 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

The Rams are shooting 38.9 percent from the field and are allowing opponents to hit 42.9 percent of their shots.

The Book On Norfolk State (14-11)

The Spartans hold a 14-11 overall record and are 10-3 in the MEAC. NSU fell to South Carolina State, 97-86, and have struggled on the road this season with a  5-10 record. The Spartans' Tony Murphy leads three double-figure scorers with 17.6 point per game. Corey Lyons is averaging 14.6 points per game, while Michael Deloach is averaging 13.4 points per game.

Larry Vickers leads the team in rebounds with 6.0 per game.

Lyons and Murphy led the team against SCSU with 23 points each, while Deloach added 16 points. Lyons also led the team in rebounds with nine.

As a team, NSU is shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 30.5 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 80-96 overall record.  Collins has posted a 15-39 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 .455 winning percentage (.278 winning percentage at WSSU) with another win over Howard.

First Season For Evans

Anthony Evans is in his first year as head men's basketball coach at Norfolk State University. The 2007-08 season will be Evans' fifth year on the Spartans' coaching staff, after serving four seasons as an assistant.

Collins Versus Norfolk State

WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has amassed an impressive career mark versus the Spartans as he has posted a career 6-6 record versus Norfolk State, a perennial MEAC power.  Prior to Jan. 28 (when WSSU fell to NSU in Norfolk, VA)  Collins had posted back-to-back wins over the Spartans and had won three of the last five contests versus NSU including a 73-56 victory in the semi-finals of the 2006 MEAC Tournament until the Rams fell in defeat earlier in the season.

Collins Versus the State of Virginia

Winston-Salem State University head coach Bobby Collins has posted an all-time career mark of 11-17 overall versus teams from the state of Virginia.  Collins has amassed a career record of: 0-1 versus George Mason, 6-6 versus Norfolk State, 1-0 versus Old Dominion, 2-0 versus Radford, 1-2 versus Richmond, 0-4 versus Virginia Commonwealth, 1-3 versus William and Mary, and 0-1 versus Hampton.

Last Action

The 85th meeting between the Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina A&T men's basketball programs featured a coaches ejection, a packed house of over 4,200 fans, exciting end-to-end college basketball action and a 71-63 WSSU victory as the Rams downed their I-40 rival at the LJVM Coliseum Annex on Saturday evening.

As a team, the Rams had one of their best shooting performances of the season shooting a scorching 53.2% from the floor, including shooting 60% from the field in the second half.

Jamal Durham led the way for the Rams with a team-high 17 points in the game. WSSU seniors Darrell Wonge and Roy Peake added 16 point and 14 points, respectively. WSSU freshman Paul Davis added 11 points and eight rebounds in the game as well.

The second half turned out to be a much different story, however, as the Rams battled back to reclaim the lead, 37-36 with 14:57 left to play. Capped by a pair of clutch Wonge free throws, a theme throughout the entire night, the Rams claimed their first lead of the second half with 14:02 left to play. The squad would push their lead up to as many as seven points, 48-41 with 9:13 left to play. In a manner similar to the first half, the Aggies once again clawed their way back into the lead, 54-53 with 5:16 left to play.

The Rams, however, would not be denied on this night, as a Davis jumper a few seconds later would put the Rams back on top, this time for good. The Rams fought off the pesky Aggies in the final minutes of the game, allowing North Carolina A&T to come no closer than two points in the final five minutes of the game and closing the final minute of play with the aforementioned clutch shooting.

Senior Night

When the Rams take to the court versus Norfolk State University on Monday, Feb. 25, the Rams will say goodbye to a trio of seniors who are playing in the final home games of their WSSU careers. Darrell Wonge, Greg Lewis and Roy Peake will close out their WSSU careers in their final home game.

Manic Mondays

The Rams have had their share of difficulties playing on Mondays this season.  Winston-Salem State has posted a 1-7 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 on Feb.18 and earned a key steal that set up teammate Jamal Durham's game-tying and game-winning free throws at Howard.

Morris' Career Day

Freshman center Corey Morris had a career day on Feb. 18 at Hampton. Morris played a career high 13 minutes and scored a career high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field (also a career high). The Elizabeth City, N.C. native also had a career high two steals.

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. February 11th'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

The Rams conclude the 2007-08 season on the road beginning March 1 against Florida A&M and remain in the Sunshine State until March 3 when they face Bethune-Cookman. WSSU closes out the season at South Carolina State before playing in a season-ending "Bonus Game" at the 2008 MEAC Basketball Tournament versus North Carolina Central.

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).  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 8-5 at home this season, 3-3 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 22 of 24 games and Brian Fisher has started 17 of the 23 games in which he has appeared.

Julian's First Start And Fifth Straight

WSSU junior forward/center Julian Murphy-Long started his fifth straight game of the season against NC A&T on Feb. 23. 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 4-12 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 4-8 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 12 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 8-5 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 14 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 33 charges through 25 games of the 2007-08 season, an average of 1.36 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 1064-636 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.