Feb. 29, 2008
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Game #27 vs. Florida A&M Notables...The Rams and the Rattlers will tip-off on Saturday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time at the Gaither Gymnasium in Tallahassee, Florida....The two teams will meet for the second time this season and third time in history...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 Rattlers hold an 11-16 overall record and hold an impressive 7-7 mark in the MEAC...The Rams enter Saturday's contest with an 11-15 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 only two times prior to Saturday's contest and the series is tied 1-1...The Rams look to sweep the season series as they defeated the Rattlers 59-57 in Winston-Salem, NC on February 2 at the LJVM Coliseum Annex.
The Rams' Usual Suspects
Darrell Wonge (Sr./F)
One of a trio of WSSU seniors, Wonge has been dubbed "the face of the WSSU program" as he is the team's captain for the 2007-08 season...A natural two or three, Wonge is a speedy slasher with a deadly mid-range jumper and accuracy from beyond the three-point arc...Had a career day vs. Hampton on Jan. 19...Scored 30 points, almost half of the team's total (62)...Averaging just under 10.0 points per game...Had four rebounds and three assists in win vs. Norfolk State.
Jamal
One of the Rams' most versatile players as he can play the three, four or five despite being only 6-6...Has appeared at all three positions during his WSSU career...Leads the squad with 11.9 points per game...Played a career high 38 minutes against Norfolk State and ranks second on the team, behind Roy Peake, in minutes with an average of 30.3 minutes...Led team with 17 points in win vs. NSU and went 3-of-4 from downtown...Averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.
Isiah Tucker (Fr./G)
Has appeared in all 26 games for the Rams...Averaging 6.7 points per game and 2.0 rebounds per game...Is averaging almost 23 minutes per contest... Had a career high 16 points three times during his rookie season...Leads team in assists, averaging 3.0 per game (77 total)...Scored nine points, all in the second half, in win vs.
Brian Fisher (So./G)
Ranks third on the team in scoring with 8.9 points per game...Is second on the team with 230 field goals attempted (trailing only Jamal Durham and his 276 FGA)...Scored season high 20 points and had six rebounds at Howard...Third on the team in assists per game with 2.0 helpers per game and is third on the team in minutes per game, averaging 24.8 minutes per contest...Had three points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals vs. NSU.
Roy Peake (Sr./G)
Rock solid, Peake is the most consistent player on the WSSU roster...Not a huge scorer (5.2 ppg)...Leads the team in minutes (30.7)...The fifth-year senior is second on the WSSU all-time assist chart with 444 helpers...Leads the team with 81 career starts...Peake has not missed a game during his WSSU career and appeared in his 113th consecutive game on Feb. 23...Has a 2.25 to 1 assist to turnover ratio for his career (444 assists and 197 turnovers)...Has never fouled out in his career.
Game Details
The Winston-Salem State University Rams (11-15) versus the Florida A&M University Rattlers (11-16, 7-7 MEAC) at the Gaither Gymnasium (3,365 capacity) in
Setting the Scene
The Rams are coming off of a pair of back-to-back wins as WSSU defeated North Carolina A&T 71-63 on Saturday, Feb. 23 and then followed it with a 68-65 victory over
The Series In Depth
The Rams and Rattlers have met only two other times in history with the two teams splitting the pair of meetings. The series is tied 1-1 as Florida A&M won the inaugural meeting 83-68 in Tallahassee, Fla. on Jan. 29, 2007 and the Rams won the most recent meeting in Winston-Salem, NC on Feb. 2, 2008 by the score of 59-57. The road team has never won a contest in the series.
Streaks
WSSU is riding a two-game win streak and looks to increase it to a season-high-tying three game win streak with a victory at Florida A&M on Saturday afternoon. WSSU's only other three-game win streak came Dec. 8-19 of this season. The Rattlers are in exactly the same situation as the Rams as they too are riding a two-game win streak and look to increase the streak to a season-high-tying three games for the first time since a three-game stretch from Jan. 21-28.
Television Coverage
There will be no live television broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Rattlers.
WSSU Radio Coverage
The Rams will broadcast the contest versus the Rattlers 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. Sharrod Patterson will appear on select broadcasts and provide in-depth analysis..
The Rattlers will not broadcast the contest between WSSU and Florida A&M on the radio. For additional information on potential FAMU radio broadcasts, contact the FAMU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (850) 599-3200
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. The Rattlers, also a partner with CSTV Online will broadcast a live stats feature at TheFAMURattlers.com.
Websites
WSSURAMS.com, the official website for
Whom To Contact
The
National Rankings
Neither the Rams nor the Rattlers 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 (11-15)
The Rams are inching ever closer to a .500 record and with an 11-15 overall mark and four contests remaining in the 2007-08 season, WSSU still has a realistic chance to finish the season at 15-15 overall, a vast improvement on 2006-07's 5-24 overall mark.
WSSU is riding a two-game win streak and looks to push that streak to three games for only the second time this season. WSSU avenged a pair of early season losses as they defeated both
The Rams are averaging 62.0 points per game and are surrendering 67.5 points per contest. WSSU is hitting just under 40 percent of their shots from the field (.391) and have shot the ball well as of late after having difficulty shooting earlier in the season.
The area of greatest improvement for the Rams is rebounding as WSSU is being out-boarded by opponents by only 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Jamal
Brian Fisher and Darrell Wonge are not far behind
The Rams only downfall may be their inconsistency on the road. WSSU has just one road win in 11 tries this season as the Rams sport a 1-10 record in road games and a 2-10 record away from home with the second victory coming by way of a neutral site win in the second game of the season.
The Book On
The Rattlers are talented team that heads into the weekend with an 11-16 overall record and a 7-7 mark in the MEAC. Florida A&M is riding a two-game win streak and is coming off of a 70-58 road win over the defending MEAC regular-season champion Hornets of Delaware State, a team that snuck by the Rams 66-59 earlier this season.
Leslie Robinson leads the Rattlers with 14.9 points per game as he is connecting on 41.2 percent of his shots from the field. Robinson is adding 3.4 rebounds per game to go along with his team-leading scoring output.
Joining Robinson in double-figures is Lamar Twitty who is scoring 12.3 points per game and is pulling down 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Oliver Prince leads the rebounding effort for the Rattlers as he is pulling down a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per contest this season. Prince, a player who signed with Pepperdine University coming out of high school, has spent the last two seasons at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY before busting onto the scene for the Rattlers this year.
The Rattlers are hitting 40.6 percent of their attempts from the field and are allowing opponents to shoot 46.6 percent from the field. Florida A&M is 6-3 at home in 2007-08 and will welcome a WSSU team that has succeeded on the road only one time this year.
Season Two For Collins
The 2007-08 season marks the second season at WSSU for head coach
First Season For Harris
The Rattlers are led by first-year head coach Eugene Harris. Harris assumed the head coaching position at FAMU after Mike Gillespie was let go in the summer of 2007. While at FAMU Harris has amassed an 11-16 record and has posted an 11-16 career coaching mark as a Division I head coach. Harris has faced WSSU head coach
Collins Versus
WSSU head coach
Collins Versus the "
Last Action (Feb. 25 vs.
The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team downed one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's best teams on Monday evening at the Joel Coliseum Annex as second-ranked Norfolk State University could not withstand a late WSSU rally as the Rams earned a 68-65 victory on a night when three WSSU seniors played in the final home game of their careers.
The two teams played dead-even basketball during the first 20 minutes of play as the lead changed hands and was deadlocked a total of 16 times (eight times each).
It would be only fitting that the halftime score found the two teams deadlocked at 23-23 headed into the locker room for intermission.
19 total first-half turnovers would eclipse the total of 18 made field goals, yet the two teams would respond with furious action in the second half as both WSSU and Norfolk State nearly doubled up their first half point totals in a contest that finished with 17 ties and 20 lead changes.
The Rams came out of the locker room hot and were the beneficiaries of excellent play from a pair of freshmen as Isiah Tucker scored all nine of his points in the second half and Paul Davis score 10 of his 14 total points in the game's final 20 minutes of play.
Coupled with the consistent play from Jamal Durham who tallied a team-high 17 points and the unusual scoring output from senior Roy Peake who scored 12 points in the win, the Rams were able to avenge their early-season loss to the Spartans.
Jamal
Senior Night
When the Rams took to the court versus
Manic Mondays
The Rams have had their share of difficulties playing on Mondays this season.
Winless On The Road No More
The Rams picked up their first, and only, road win of the season 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 1-10 on the road. WSSU looks to improve upon that mark this weekend with two contests away from home.
Morris' Career Day
Freshman center Corey Morris had a career day on Feb. 18 at
First Half Woes
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. February 11th's loss at
Largest Halftime Deficit
The Rams' 26-point deficit to the Morgan State Bears marked the largest halftime deficit of the season for the Rams. The Rams' previous season-high halftime deficit was 16 points.
Second Three-Game Losing Streak Snapped
The Rams' one-point victory over Howard on Feb. 16 snapped a three-game losing streak and is the second time WSSU stopped the streak from extending to four games. WSSU fell to
Only 12 Field Goals
The Rams recorded a season-low 12 total field goals at
Next Up
The Rams conclude the 2007-08 season on the road beginning March 1 against Florida A&M and remain in the
A Vast Improvement Over 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 first 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 9-5 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
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 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
Julian's First Start And Fifth Straight
WSSU junior forward/center Julian Murphy-Long started his fifth straight game of the season against
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
Most Lopsided Win Since 1977-78
The 105-59 win over UMES on Jan. 12, 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 the 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 5-12 record when they are held to less than 10 steals.
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 12 times in 2007-08 and have posted a 4-8 record when doing so.
Morris Not Redshirting
Prior to the season, WSSU head coach
Home Sweet Home
The Rams, a team that posted 23 road games last season, has benefitted 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 15 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 38 charges through 26 games of the 2007-08 season, an average of 1.47 charges taken per contest. Seniors Darrell Wonge and Roy Peake lead the Rams with a team-high eight 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
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 1065-636 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"
The House That Gaines Built
Legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines coached at
