March 1, 2006
Final Stats
CHARLOTTE, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams cruised by the Tigers of Saint Paul's College on Wednesday evening in opening-round action of the 61st annual CIAA Men's Basketball Tournament by the score of 74-38 to earn themselves a date with the Bulldogs of Bowie State University in Thursday's quarterfinals at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, NC.
The win propels the Rams into the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals moving them one-quarter of the way towards the goal of capturing their 11th CIAA Tournament championship and setting a new record for fewest opponent points allowed in CIAA opening-round play in the process.
The Rams took just over four minutes to get warmed up as WSSU outscored the Tigers 37-22 over the final 15:30 of the first half to break open the contest and turn a 7-6 game into a 44-28 advantage heading into the halftime break.
Alleggrie Guinn led the Ram run with 14 points on five-of-nine shooting in the half as he and forward Jamal Durham (nine points), injured ankle and all led the Rams in scoring in the period to give WSSU a comfortable 16-point cushion at the intermission.
The Rams continued to keep the Tigers at bay as WSSU kept a hefty double-digit lead for the contest's final 20 minutes of play as Saint Paul's College could never mount a challenge at a comeback.
The lead would grow to a game-high 37 points at 74-37 when Corey Parker recorded an easy lay-up with 56 seconds remaining as WSSU easily won the contest, leading wire-to-wire, never trailing SPC.
WSSU was led in scoring by Guinn who tallied a game-high 17 points and three assists to lead all scorers. He was joined in double-figures by Wehner with 15 points, Corey Parker with 11 and Darrell Wonge with ten.
With the win, the Rams improve to 19-9 overall while the Tigers close their season with a 12-17 overall record, much improved over last seasons' winless mark at 0-26.
The Rams will return to action on Thursday, March 2, 2006 at 1:00 pm when they face the CIAA Eastern Division's second-seeded Bulldogs of Bowie State University in a bid for their 20th win of the season.
The Rams will be looking to earn their third 20-win season under head coach Philip Stitt as they attempt to avenge a nine-point loss that they suffered at the hands of Bowie State on November 29, 2005 in Bowie, MD.
For additional information on Winston-Salem State University men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com
- wssurams.com -
