Feb. 3, 2008
Quick Hits...The Lady Rams will host the Bethune-Cookman Lady Wildcats, Monday evening...The squad will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak with the team's last win coming on January 19th over the Howard Lady Bison at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Hungry Squads...Both teams will be hungry for a win, Monday night as the Lady Rams head into the game holding a four-game skid, while the Lady Wildcats have taken eight straight losses...Combined the two teams hold a 1-14 record since the beginning of 2008....Some one will come away happy when the Lady Rams and Lady Wildcats face off, Monday evening.
Last Time Out...Both teams suffered losses Saturday, evening with the Lady Rams falling to the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers, 36-67 while the Lady Wildcats took a 64-43 loss to the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs...The Lady Rams played the Lady Rattlers close for much of the first half, not falling behind by more than eight points, but struggled mightily in the second half, scoring just 13 points in the final stanza...The Lady Rams were hounded by a FAMU defense that forced 28 turnovers in the loss...WSSU freshman guard Corbin Bradford led the way for the Lady Rams with 12 points in the loss...Fellow freshman Jalesa Byrd pulled in a career-high 11 rebounds in the game as well...Center Nora Campbell added two assists and a pair of blocks in the loss...Bethune-Cookman suffered its ninth straight loss, Saturday night and struggled to keep up with the inside presence of South Carolina State...The Lady Bulldogs scored 28 points in the paint as well as 17 second-chance points in the contest...Lady Wildcat senior forward Natasha Ferguson led the way for Bethune-Cookman with 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss...B-CU junior guard Traci Fountain added nine points off the bench, all from three-pointers.
The Series...The Lady Rams will meet the Lady Wildcats for the third time with WSSU holding a 2-0 lead over the Lady Wildcats...The Lady Rams took a pair of wins over the Lady Wildcats both on the road and at home.
Last Meeting...Monday's game will be the third meeting between the Lady Rams and the Lady Wildcats...WSSU had to hold on for a hard-fought 49-44 win over B-CU at the C.E. Gaines Center last season...The win was the second straight win for the Lady Rams...Former Lady Ram center Shalonda Carter had a big night last season with eight points and 15 rebounds in the win...Former WSSU forward Lavontay Johnson led the way for the Lady Rams with 14 points and seven rebounds in the game...B-CU was led by then-junior forward Natasha Ferguson's 12 points.
Coaching Match-Up...Saturday's game will feature a match-up between a pair of talented coaches when WSSU head coach Dee Stokes leads her squad against Francis Simmons' B-CU squad...In her career at WSSU, Stokes has amassed a 9-37 record since taking the reins while Simmons has amassed a 19-84 record at Bethune-Cookman.
WSSU Injury Report...Lady Ram senior guard Keoshia Worthy is the only WSSU player that will miss Saturday's game against the Lady Aggies...All of the remaining Lady Rams will be dressed and ready to play.
Live Statistics...Live in-game statistics will be available on the internet via GameTracker on www.WSSURams.com.
Websites...The official website for Winston-Salem State University Athletics is www.WSSURams.com...The website offers 24-hour access to news, features, and commentary on Winston-Salem State University athletics...The official website for Bethune-Cookman is www.BCCAthletics.com...Both websites are members of the CSTV sports system.
On the Air...Saturday's game will be broadcast locally on WSNC 90.5 FM in the Winston-Salem, NC area...Alan Chavous will handle play-by-play duties while Kim Spears does color commentary...Bethune-Cookman will not broadcast Saturday's game.
Young Guns...The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams are the youngest team in the nation as all eight active Lady Ram players are true freshman...WSSU senior guard Keoshia Worthy was the only Lady Ram player with collegiate experience, but suffered a season-ending knee injury against USC-Aiken in the sixth game of the season.
Upwardly Mobile...The Lady 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.
Connecting the Dots...WSSU head coach Dee Stokes has made an effort to keep the local talent local with players from each point in the Piedmont Triad...WSSU freshman guard Rene Rector (Mount Tabor HS) hails from Winston-Salem, NC, while fellow freshman guard Corbin Bradford (High Point Andrews) is a native of High Point, NC...The freshman duo of guards Montague Austin and Nikki Kee (Dudley HS) hail from Greensboro, NC.
New Kids on the Block...The Winston-Salem State Rams became the 12th member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in July of 2007...However, the team will not be eligible for the post-season until the 2010-11 season due to its reclassification to NCAA Division I...This marked the first expansion of the conference since the addition of Norfolk State University in 1997...The Lady Rams will play a full schedule of MEAC games, but wins and losses will not count in the conference standings and the Lady Rams will not be eligible for the MEAC tournament and regular season championship until the 2010-11 season.
Up Next For the Lady Rams...The Lady Rams will return to the road to take on the Morgan State Lady Bears, one of the hottest teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with an 11-8 overall record.
