Jan. 12, 2007

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

Quick Hits...The Lady Rams (4-16) head into Saturday's looking to snap a five-game losing streak, but will face a University of Maryland-Eastern Shore team that they pushed to overtime earlier this season.

Setting the Scene... The Lady Rams enter Tuesday's contest seeking some answers as the team has taken five straight losses, including three losses away from home. The Lady Rams will have to face a Radford team that is heading in a different direction after a pair of back-to-back home wins.

A Quick Look Back...The Lady Rams posted a 10-18 overall record last season and posted a 5-11 conference record in their final year of membership in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).  WSSU lost in the opening round of the CIAA Women's Championship tournament in Charlotte, NC to the Bowie State University Lady Bulldogs by the score of 52-51 as they closed out 25 years of CIAA basketball play before departing Division II for the ranks of Division I.

Last Action... The Lady Rams had a few tough mountains to climb, Tuesday night as the team took a tough 72-48 loss at Radford. A strong performance by senior forward Shalonda Carter was not enough as Carter racked up a double-double 14 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocked shots at Radford, but the effort was not enough as the team's 21 turnovers and 18 total fouls proved to be too much for the team to overcome. The Highlanders came out strong shooting 42% from the field in the game, including hitting seven three-pointers in the game. Three RU players reached double-digit scoring in the game, led by Johnette Walker's 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Vandy Pullen added 12 points, while Corey Fertittia added 10 points and 11 rebounds in the game.

Saturday's Opposition... The Maryland-Eastern Shore Lady Hawks head into Saturday's game off of their first win in their last five games defeating South Carolina State 62-53 in Orangeburg, SC Monday night. Senior forward Qiana Cheatham led the way with 13 points in the game. Jelila Abdul-Bassit added 12 points as well. Freshman forward April McBride was the only starter in double-digit scoring with 12 points and barely missed the double-double effort with nine rebounds in the contest. Senior center Kristi Veltkamp added four blocked shots in the game.

The Series vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore ...The Lady Rams are in the second year of a five-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I and will join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2007-08.  This season the Lady Rams compete at the Division I level as an Independent. 

WSSU Radio Coverage...None for Tuesday's game.  The WSSU Department of Athletics will broadcast all the home women's basketball games on WSNC 90.5 FM with Maurice "Big Mo" Stanfield calling all the play-by-play action and LA Batchelor providing color commentary.  The games are also available on the Internet at www.WSSU.edu by clicking on the link "Listen To WSNC 90.5 Online".  The next WSSU broadcast will be on Saturday January 13, 2007 at 2:00 pm when WSSU takes on the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Maryland-Eastern Shore Radio Coverage... The Lady Hawks will be broadcast on the web at www.UMESHawks.com and on the airwaves in Princess Anne, Maryland on WTGM 960 AM. The "Voice of the Hawks" Ben Wagner will call the action, Saturday.

Websites...The official site of WSSU Athletics is www.WSSURAMS.com. The official site of UMES athletics is www.UMESHawks.com. 

A Quick Look at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore ... Founded in 1886 as a land-grant, ,historically black college as the Delaware Academy, UMES has grown into an enrollment of 4,130 students and has been a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference since 1970. UMES was a founding member of the conference in 1970, but left the conference in 1979. The Hawks and Lady Hawks returned in 1981.

Battle in the paint . . . There will be a monster match-up in the paint when WSSU senior center Shalonda Carter squares off against UMES junior center Kristi Veltkamp. Carter leads the Lady Rams with 14 blocked shots this season and is averaging a double-double, while Veltkamp has a whopping 47 blocked shots and is averaging 9.5 points per game along with 5.9 rebounds per contest. Veltkamp is the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the pre-season pick to repeat the honor.

Streak broken . . . Senior center Shalonda Carter had a streak of 36 straight starts snapped, Tuesday when she came off the bench against Radford. Carter's last non-start came at the College of Charleston on December 30, 2005.

Bench Press . . . The Lady Rams got a big lift off the bench, Tuesday as 22 of the team's 42 points came from the reserves. The duo of senior center Shalonda Carter and senior guard Latoya Armstrong combined for all 22 points off the bench.

On the Line . . . The Lady Rams will be looking to build a winning record against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams when they take on the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Currently, the Lady Rams are 3-2 against the MEAC with a pair of wins over Norfolk State and a win over Bethune-Cookman to their credit this season. A Saturday win would give the team a 4-2 record against their MEAC foes with three MEAC games left. The Lady Rams will hit the road to play Morgan State and Delaware State before hosting Bethune-Cookman.

First Neutral Site Contest...Last Friday's action versus the Wildcats of New Hampshire (at the Lady Luck Classic in Blacksburg, VA) marked the Lady Rams' first contest at a neutral site during the 2006-07 season. WSSU dropped the contest by the score of 63-55 to fall to 0-1 on the season at neutral venues.   

First Thursday Win Of `06-'07...The Lady Rams' most recent win, a 59-50 win over the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College marked the first time in the 2006-07 season that WSSU won a game held on a Thursday.  The win improved WSSU's overall record on Thursday to 1-3.  They look to inch closer to evening that record by moving to 2-3 on Thursday's with a win over Georgia Tech on January 4, 2007.

What's On Tap...The Lady Rams have their most difficult schedule in the 25-year history of the women's basketball program.  WSSU opened the season with four road games during the season's first week of play.  Winston-Salem State University lost at #2 North Carolina (83-32) on November 12 before traveling to Towson, MD to face Towson on November 14 where they lost 76-51.  WSSU traveled to Auburn, AL to face Auburn University on November 17 where they dropped an 85-47 decision, and then traveled to face Alabama State on November 19 (L, 76-63).  The Lady Rams' lost their first home contest (November 25) when they fell to Johnson C. Smith University at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC by the score of 73-63 and then earned their first win of the season, and first road win when they defeated Norfolk State in overtime 75-64.  The Lady Rams fell to Delaware State University by the score of 67-51 and bounced back as they hammered NJIT 72-41.  WSSU followed that win up with a close 66-52 loss to Appalachian State University and then fell again last at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in overtime by the score of 54-48 on December 9, 2006.  The Lady Rams then lost their third consecutive game as they fell in defeat at Elon University on December 14 by the score of 50-42 before bouncing back this past Saturday with a losing-streak-snapping 56-47 win over Norfolk State University.  WSSU's then fell in defeat on December 19 as the Lady Rams played well against a very good Towson Tiger team before losing 57-50 to drop to 3-10 on the season.  WSSU then dropped a pair of games at the "Lady Luck Women's Basketball Classic" hosted by Virginia Tech this past weekend as they fell 43-33 to the Hokies and fell 63-55 to New Hampshire in the consolation match. The Lady Rams have struggled in 2007 taking three straight losses to open the year, falling to Georgia Tech, Livingston, and Radford. Most recently, the Lady Rams took a 72-48 loss at Radford, Tuesday night.

Making History...History was made Monday, November 27th in Norfolk, Virginia as the Lady Rams recorded their first Division I win in the program's history.  Coach Dee Stokes netted her first win as WSSU's head coach and the Lady Rams improved to 1-5 at the Division I level with a win over a Division I opponent on the road at Norfolk State University.

New Head Coach...WSSU is led by Dee Stokes who is entering into her first year as head coach of the Lady Rams.  Stokes is no stranger to the Division I coaching ranks as she is entering into her fifth season overall and has posted an all-time mark of 54-65.  She comes to WSSU by way of Winthrop University where she spent two seasons as an assistant coach following a four-year spell as the head coach at East Carolina University.  Stokes has posted a 4-15 record at WSSU as head coach and earned her first win as head coach at WSSU on November 27 versus Norfolk State.  She has posted an overall head coaching record of 54-65.

Hitting the Century Mark...WSSU senior forward Shalonda Carter has played in 100 career games at WSSU.  She hit the 100-game mark on Saturday, January 7, 2007 at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC when she took the court versus Livingstone College. Unfortunately, her 100th game was cut short as she received her fifth foul with just less than 12 minutes left to play.

Next Up... The Lady Rams will return to the road when they head south to take on the Savannah State Lady Tigers. The Lady Rams will head down to Tiger Arena next Saturday. The game will be the first of a home and home meeting between the Lady Rams and Lady Tigers. The two teams will meet up in the regular season finale for the Lady Rams at the C.E. Gaines Center on February 21st.

Nine Conferences Strong...The Lady Rams will face nine different conferences during the 2006-07 season.  WSSU will face the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) three times, the Colonial Athletic Association (CIAA) three times, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) once, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA - NCAA Division II) twice, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) nine times, the Southern Conference (SoCON) twice, the Big East once, the Big South once and the Patriot League once.  WSSU will also battle five teams that are classified as NCAA Independents.

Right Where She Left Off...Senior forward Shalonda Carter is again picking up where she left off last season.  Carter has averaged nearly a double-double for her entire career, a span of 98 career games (of which she has started 94 of them).  Carter is averaging 13.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season with a career average of 12.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.  It took Carter only 77 games to break the 1,000-point plateau at WSSU, something she did as a junior.

Young Gun ... Freshman guard Ja'Pel Sumpter may be the only freshman on the 2006-07 team, but she isn't playing like it as she is the team's fourth leading scorer at 4.6 points per game and has earned four starts. As a true freshman, Sumpter has played fewer than 10 minutes only five times this season and has seen time in 19 of the team's 20 games this season.

Transition Year Two...The Lady Rams are currently in the second year of a five-year transition from the Division II level to the highest level of competition in Division I.  The Lady Rams are an independent team that will join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2007-08.  Winston-Salem State University will become a full-fledged Division I member that is eligible for championships during the 2010-11 season.

12th MEAC Member...On July 20, 2006, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced that it will expand its membership to 12 members next year, as the league voted to admit Winston-Salem State University into the league beginning in 2007-08. "We are elated to welcome Winston-Salem into the MEAC family", said Commissioner Dennis Thomas. "Obviously we think that WSSU is an outstanding academic institution with an excellent athletics program." Winston-Salem State University is currently in the second year of its reclassification from Division II to NCAA Division I status. WSSU will begin a full MEAC schedule in all sports beginning in 2007-08. However they will not be eligible for MEAC Championship play until the 2010-11 football season. The addition of WSSU marks the first expansion for the MEAC since 1997, when Norfolk State University became the 11th member of the conference.

Road Weary... The Lady Rams are a woeful 2-9 on the road this season taking losses in their last three road games. The team's last win on the road came at Bethune-Cookman when the Lady Rams walked into Moore Gymnasium to take a 59-50 win over the Lady Wildcats.

Home Cooked . . . The Lady Rams have also struggled at home with a 2-6 record at the C.E. Gaines Center this season, including three straight home losses, including last Saturday's loss to the Livingstone Lady Blue Bears, 61-72. For the season, the Lady Rams are shooting 38.4% from the field at home this season while committing 178 turnovers in the eight games. The team has had some solid play on the glass tying their opponents in rebounds at 34 rebounds per contest.

Glass Matters...Whoever wins the rebounding battle wins the basketball war.  The Lady Rams, who are currently 4-15 on the season, have lost the rebounding battle in 10 of their 13 losses this season.  Last season when the Lady Rams were out-rebounded, they posted a record of 2-15 overall.  Rebounding may very well be the key to the success, or failure, of this young women's basketball team.  When WSSU out-rebounds their opponent they have posted a 3-2 record this season.  When WSSU is out-rebounded they have posted a dismal 1-9 record this season.

A New Era; A Proud History...The Lady Rams are entering into a new era at WSSU as they are heading into the Division I ranks.  However, the Rams have a history of basketball excellence as they have recorded 12 winning seasons en route to posting an overall mark of 331-337 over the span of 25 years of play.