March 3, 2005

Raleigh, NC - In the powerful Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) it is very difficult to defeat the same team three times in one season. However, that is exactly what the Rams aim to do LIVE on ESPN Classic on Thursday evening from the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC as WSSU will face Livingstone College, a team they have beaten twice already in 2004-05, in the CIAA Tournament Quarterfinals.

The Rams, who have not taken the court since a 77-65 victory over Saint Paul's College on February 24th, 2005, are the Western Division #1 seed, and earned a first-round bye, making them inactive in Wednesday's opening-round.

WSSU, who finished the regular season with a 21-6 overall record, and a 14-2 CIAA record watched the opening rounds from the stands as their record gave them one more day of rest before taking to the court.

In direct contrast to the Rams, the Blue Bears punched their own ticket to the quarterfinals last evening as they defeated the Shaw University Bears by the score of 71-65, earning them a date with the Rams.

The two teams met twice during the regular-season, with WSSU earning a pair of wins.

The first meeting came on February 10th, 2005 at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC. The Rams earned a 62-57 win in that game as Terris Sifford scored ten points and pulled down nine rebounds as WSSU hit nearly 50% of their shots from the floor.

The second meeting of the year came only five days later as the Rams traveled to Salisbury, NC to face Livingstone at Trent Gymnasium. Despite the venue change, the outcome was the same as WSSU earned a 66-59 victory, this time needing an overtime period to do so.

Alleggrie Guinn and Terris Sifford led three Rams in double figures as they tallied 16 points each en route to the overtime win, the Rams fourth overtime victory of the season (4-0 in OT in 2004-05).

The game held special meaning for Guinn as he recorded his 1,000th point of his three-year career when he tallied the first points of the game, a free-throw, to give WSSU a 1-0 lead.

The Rams went on to the win the game and clinch the CIAA Western Division title and earn a first-round bye with the victory.

WSSU and Livingstone will battle for the third, and final, time this season at 9:30 PM on ESPN Classic as WSSU looks towards their first semifinal berth since the 2002 Tournament.

For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 414-9402 (mobile office) or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com