Feb. 3, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams return to action on Monday evening at the Joel Coliseum Annex as they play host to the visiting Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University at 7:30 pm.
Game #20 vs. Bethune-Cookman Notables...The Rams and the Wildcats will tip-off on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 pm Eastern Time at the LJVM Coliseum Annex in Winston-Salem, NC...The two teams will meet for the first time since Jan. 27, 2007 when WSSU defeated BCU by the score of 56-48 in Daytona Beach, Fla...The game is a conference match-up as both teams are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)...The Wildcats hold an 8-13 record overall and sport a 3-5 mark in the MEAC...The Rams enter into the contest with an 8-11 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 one other time in history with the Rams holding the 1-0 edge in the series...The contest will mark the first time in history that the Rams play host to the Wildcats.
Game Details
The Winston-Salem State University Rams (8-11) versus the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats (8-13, 3-5 MEAC) at the LJVM Coliseum Annex (4,200 capacity) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Feb. 4, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The contest is a part of a MEAC doubleheader with the WSSU Lady Rams taking to the court at 5:30 pm. The men's game will tip-off 20 minutes after the completion of the women's contest. The meeting will mark a contest between a pair of teams that began a rivalry last season (2006-07).
Setting the Scene
Monday's contest will mark the first contest between the two teams in 372 days as the last meeting between the two storied programs came on Jan. 27, 2007 at the Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida in a contest that saw the Rams defeat the Wildcats by the score of 56-48. The Rams look to win two in a row after snapping a three-game losing streak on Saturday when they edged Florida A&M, 59-57, while the Wildcats are looking to get back on track with a win after losing their last contest - a 51-48 loss to South Carolina State University.
The Series In Depth
The Rams and Wildcats have met only one other time in history with Winston-Salem State holding the 1-0 edge in the series. The two programs are no stranger to one another as both the Wildcats and the Rams are proud HBCU's who are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Rams won the last, and only, meeting (Jan. 27, 2007) between the two teams.
Streaks
Winston-Salem State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 59-57 victory over Florida A&M on Saturday. The victory was the Rams' first since a 64-56 win over Howard that came on Jan. 19. Bethune-Cookman enters into the contest riding a one-game losing streak as they fell in defeat to the South Carolina State University Bulldogs in Orangeburg, South Carolina in their last action (51-48 on Saturday, Feb. 2)
Television Coverage
There will be no live television broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Wildcats.
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.
Bethune-Cookman Radio Coverage
The Wildcats will not broadcast the contest live on the radio. For additional information on BCU broadcast details, contact the BCU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (386) 481-2206.
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 Wildcats, also a CSTV Online partner will broadcast a live stats feature at BCCAthletics.com.
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 Wildcats is located at BCCAthletics.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 Bethune-Cookman University men's basketball contact is Bryan Harvey, Sports Information Director. Harvey can be reached in the office at (386) 481-2206, on his cell phone at (757) 268-4561 and via email at HarveyB@cookman.edu.
National Rankings
Neither the Rams nor the Wildcats 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 (8-11)
The Rams hold an 8-11 record as they head into Monday's contest against Bethune-Cookman and snapped a three-game losing skid with a 59-57 victory over Florida A&M on Saturday.
WSSU heads into the MEAC match-up averaging 64.1 points per contest, while hitting 38.8 percent of their field goal attempts. The Rams shot 42.1 percent in their win on Saturday and were led by Jamal Durham, who totaled 20 points in 37 minutes.
Durham leads the team in scoring with 12.2 points per contest. The junior forward is second on the team in rebounds per contest, averaging 5.4 boards per game. Joining Durham in double-figures is only Darrell Wonge. The senior forward is now averaging 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Brian Fisher saw his scoring average drop below 10 points per game following the Norfolk State game where he went scoreless. Fisher is averaging 9.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game.
WSSU will face the Wildcats at home in Winston-Salem, NC, a place that WSSU has won seven games this season. The Rams face Bethune-Cookman in the LJVM Coliseum Annex, an arena in which the Rams just picked up first victory on Saturday.
The Book On Bethune-Cookman (8-13)
The Wildcats enter into the contest on Monday sporting an 8-13 overall record and are coming off a 51-48 defeat at the hands of South Carolina State. Bethune-Cookman has struggled since the New Year, going 2-6 since Jan. 10.
The Wildcats hold a 3-5 conference record and are 2-8 on the road.
Bethune-Cookman is averaging 55.9 points per contest and is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats' John Holmes and Jimmy Hudson are the team's only two players averaging in double figures with 13.9 points per game and 13.0 points per game, respectively. Holmes also leads the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game.
Dewayne Pettus led the Wildcats on Saturday with 12 points as Holmes was held to only four points.
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 78-92 overall record. Collins has posted a 13-35 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 .459 winning percentage (.271 winning percentage at WSSU) with a win over Bethune-Cookman.
Sixth Season For Reed, Jr.
The Wildcats are led by sixth-year head coach Clifford Reed, Jr.. While at BCU Reed, Jr. has amassed an 67-114 record. Reed, Jr. has faced WSSU head coach Bobby Collins in a head-to-head coaching matchup nine times.
Head-To-Head Coaching Matchup
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins and BCU head coach Clifford Reed, Jr. have met nine times prior to Monday's contest. The meeting between the two programs will be the 10th head-to-head contest during each coaches' coaching tenure. Collins owns a 7-2 record all-time versus the Wildcats and versus Clifford Reed, Jr.
Collins Versus Bethune-Cookman
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has amassed an impressive career mark against the Wildcats as he has posted a career 7-2 record versus Bethune-Cookman. Last year, Collins led the Rams to a 56-48 victory in Daytona Beach.
Collins Versus the State of Florida
Winston-Salem State University head coach Bobby Collins has posted an all-time career mark of 13-9 overall versus teams from the state of Florida. Collins has amassed a career record of 6-5 versus Florida A&M (Tallahassee, Fla.), a career record of 7-2 over Bethune-Cookman (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and a career record of 0-2 versus the University of South Florida (Tampa, Fla.).
Last Action
Winston-Salem State snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday when it defeated Florida A&M 59-57 at the Joel Coliseum Annex.
WSSU's leader used his ninth different starting lineup of the season as senior point guard Roy Peake failed to start for the first time in 21 consecutive games.
Leading by two points with under six seconds remaining, Peake missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have sealed the Rattlers' fate and followed it with a block on Leslie Robinson's game-winning three-point attempt as time expired as WSSU held on for a dramatic two-point victory.
Coming off of the bench, Peake was one of five Rams' players that recorded 30 or more minutes in the contest. He scored five points and pulled down three rebounds as he led WSSU to a win.
The Rams would lead by as many as 15 points in the contest as they snapped a three-game losing streak.
Jamal Durham led the Rams with 20 points in the win as he and Floyd (12 points) were the only two players in double-figures for WSSU. Lamar Twitty led three Rattlers in double-figures with 17 points in a losing effort.
No Outsiders
The Rams have no players from the state of Florida on their roster. The Rattlers have no players from the state of North Carolina on their roster. Each team prefers to stay close to home when recruiting talent as the Rams boast nine players on their current roster from the state of North Carolina, while the Rattlers have seven members of their 2007-08 team that reside in the state of Florida.
Upstate NY Connections
Current Rattler Oliver Prince spent the last two seasons at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY where he led his team to a 31-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the NJCAA Division II Tournament. Prince was at MCC the same time period as current WSSU softball player Whitney Wright, a native of Honeoye Falls, NY. Wright helped lead MCC to a 52-2 record and a national championship as she was third in the nation in steals (35), batted .500 (10th in the nation), was named to the national All-tournament team, finished fourth in the nation with 10 home runs and was third in the nation with 65 RBI.
Scoreless Only Once
Due to a bout with the flu, sophomore guard Brian Fisher was limited to only four minutes versus Norfolk State on Jan. 28 where he was held scoreless for the first time in his career. 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 scored in every game in 2007-08 except for the game on Jan. 28 (Fisher sat out one game this season with knee soreness). The sophomore guard scored eight points against FAMU on Feb. 2.
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).
Next Up
Following the Rams' game versus Bethune-Cookman on Monday, WSSU spends nearly the entire month of February on the road as it heads to Baltimore, MD twice (Mar. 9 and Mar. 11), Washington, DC once (Mar. 16) and travel to Hampton, VA (Mar. 18) before continuing their road swing at the end of the month when they head to Florida to face Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman (Mar. 1 and Mar. 3).
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). Davis did not play versus the Rattlers on Saturday.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
The Rams have hosted home games in three different venues this season. WSSU is 7-4 at home this season, 1-2 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.
Not Road Warriors
The Rams have yet to post a win on the road in 2007-08. WSSU has dropped all seven contests on the road this season and the closest WSSU has come to posting a road win is a neutral site win over Lipscomb (68-58 from the American Family Insurance Cyclone Classic held at Iowa State on Nov. 10). WSSU will look for its first road win on Feb. 9 when it faces Morgan State.
Lineup Shake-Up
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins has used nine different starting lineups this season with only one Ram, Darrell Wonge, starting every contest. Senior Roy Peake had his streak of 21 straight starts broken as he had started every contest this season prior to Saturday versus FAMU. Sophomore guard Brian Fisher has started all but two games this year, while junior Jamal Durham has started the last seven games.
Peakes 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.
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 5-3 overall record. WSSU has posted a 3-8 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 4-7 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 eight 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 7-4 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 eight 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.
Put That Behind Him
Darrell Wonge, a player that went scoreless for the first time in his career in the Rams' loss at Kansas State on Dec. 22, has rebounded well. The senior recorded his second double-digit scoring output of the season versus the University of South Florida where he recorded 11 points. Wonge posted six consecutive double-digit scoring performances after that scoreless performance at K-State and tallied 30 points versus Hampton. That streak was snapped on Jan. 26 at North Carolina A&T when Wonge was held to only nine points.
Not The First Time
The Rams' loss at USF marked the third time this season that the Rams have trailed by 30 points or more. WSSU has trailed USF, Duquesne and Kansas State by at least 30 points.
Up Three On The Sunshine State
With the loss at USF, WSSU head coach Bobby Collins' coaching record versus teams from the State of Florida falls to 12-9 overall. Collins has posted a 7-2 record versus Bethune-Cookman (Daytona Beach, Fla.), has posted a 5-5 record versus Florida A&M (Tallahassee, Fla.), and has posted an 0-2 record versus USF (Tampa, Fla.)
Taking Charge
The Rams have 30 charges taken through 19 games of the 2007-08 season, an average of 1.66 charges taken per contest. Senior forward Darrell Wonge leads the Rams with a team-high six charges drawn. Five other players have tallied at least three drawn charges this season.
Gotta Get The Shot Off
Versus the Aggies of North Carolina A&T on Jan. 26, the Rams allowed the shot clock to expire twice, moving WSSU's season total for shot clock violations to 10.
Second Half Not Kind
In WSSU's loss at USF on Dec. 29 the Rams surrendered a season-high 55 points in the second half. The 55-points surrendered eclipsed the 51-point second half that WSSU allowed at Kansas State on Dec. 22.
Fourth Big One
The Rams' loss at USF on Dec. 29 marked the fourth time this season that the Rams lost to an opponent by 17 or more points (see chart on page 8). WSSU dropped decisions at Duquesne (30 points), Wake Forest (20 points), Kansas State (42 points), and USF (39 points) by more than 17 points.
Large Deficits
The Rams trailed USF by 43 points with 2:47 to play in the contest on Dec. 29. That 43-point deficit nearly tied the largest deficit of the season that came on Dec. 22 when the Rams trailed Kansas State by a season-high 44 points.
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.
Glass Matters
The Rams surrendered 53 rebounds at USF on Dec. 29. That rebounding total is the most that any opponent has recorded versus the Rams this season eclipsing the 52 rebounds that K-State pulled down versus WSSU on Dec. 22. That total includes 21 offensive boards, the exact same number of offensive rebounds that WSSU surrendered to the Wildcats. Headed into this Monday's contest, the Rams are facing a rebounding deficit of -5.2 rebounds per contest.
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).
Do It Again As Sophomores?
The 2006-07 WSSU Rams were led in scoring by freshmen 18 times. Darius Floyd led the Rams in scoring seven times and Brian Fisher led the Rams in scoring eleven times as first-year players combined for nearly 38 percent of the total offense from last season's team. Bobby Collins and the Rams will rely heavily on the pair of talented sophomore guards this season. This season Floyd has led the Rams in scoring once while Fisher has led the team in points twice.
62nd Year
The Rams have turned in an overall record of 1062-631 over the span of 61 completed seasons of men's basketball competition for a winning percentage of 62.7%. 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.
Need At Least 59
The Rams need to score at least 59 points to gain wins this season. When the Rams score less than 59 points in a game they are a winless 0-6 this season.
