HAMPTON, VA- The Winston-Salem State Rams (9-15) came out with fire and intensity, but could not come home with the win as a second half surge by the Hampton Pirates (15-9) gave the visiting Rams a 67-62 loss. The game was an emotional one as WSSU head coach Bobby Collins made his first appearance in Hampton, VA since leading the Pirates to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship in 2006.

The Rams were able to channel the emotion of the game into a solid on-court performance, challenging one of the top teams in the MEAC for all 40 minutes. For the game, the Rams shot a scorching 45.7% from the field, despite shooting 26.7% from the three-point line.  WSSU junior forward Jamal Durham led the way for the Rams with 14 poitns and eight rebounds in the loss, while freshman forward Paul Davis added 10 points. Senior forward Darrell Wonge led the Rams on the boards with nine rebounds to go along with eight points in the game.

It was all Pirates early with homestanding Hampton jumping out to an early 11-1 lead, but the Rams battled back claiming their first lead of the game, 20-18 on a pair of Durham free throws with 7:06 left in the half.

Down the stretch of the half, the Rams controlled the game going ahead by as many as eight points, 28-20 on a lay-up by WSSU freshman guard Isiah Tucker with 2:57 left in the half. The Pirates would make a run in the final minute as a lay-up with 00:22 left in the half cut the WSSU halftime lead down to four points, 33-29.

The second half started much like the first half with the Pirates coming out to a strong start. An early 10-4 run by the Pirates would erase the WSSU lead and give the Pirates a 39-37 advantage that the home team would not relinquish. Though Hampton did its best extend its lead, the Rams would continue to battle and keep the game close for the remainder of the contest.

Tucker would go on to hit another crucial basket for the Rams as his three-pointer with 6:29 would pull the Rams to within one point of the Pirates, 55-54 with 6:29 left to play. The three-pointer capped a 9-2 run by the Rams that pulled the team to within one point of the Pirates.

Hampton would then respond with five unanswered points and pulled away from the Rams for good. The final minutes saw the Rams get no closer than four points on a Tucker free throw with 00:29 left to play. Another Pirate free throw eight seconds later would cap the win and leave the Rams with the 67-62 loss in the game.  

The emotional loss will tip-off a big week for the Rams as the team will return home to face the North Carolina A&T Aggies in a home game on Saturday evening at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Annex.