Nov. 12, 2007
Final Stats
PITTSBURGH, PA - The Winston-Salem State University Rams fell victim to a hot team on Tuesday evening in chilly Pittsburgh, PA as WSSU could not match the intensity of the Duquesne University Dukes in a 93-63 loss in men's Division I college basketball action at the AJ Palumbo Center.
The Dukes, fresh off of their 70-point drubbing of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member Howard on Friday evening in Pittsburgh, PA (129-59) started the game hot as they jumped out to an early 10-3 lead over the first five minutes of play en route to a lead that they would never relinquish.
Despite the early deficit, the Rams continued to generate offensive opportunities as WSSU head coach Bobby Collins went to his bench early and often in the first half of play as impressive first half performances from freshman forward Alcius McIntoche (Clayton, NC) and freshman guard Isiah Tucker (Raleigh, NC) helped to keep WSSU in the contest.
McIntoche contributed four points and pair of rebounds in eight minutes of first-half action while Tucker led all WSSU scorers with eight points in the game's first 20-minutes of play.
WSSU would fall victim to a late Duquesne run as the host-team Dukes closed the half with an 18-11 run, a 7-3 stretch over the final 2:31 of play, as DU turned a manageable seven point advantage into a 14 point cushion headed into the locker room at halftime leading 43-29.
The Dukes continued to increase their advantage in game's final half of play as they used a 32-15 run during the first 10 minutes of the second half to turn a 43-29 game into a 75-44 game, effectively putting the contest out of reach for the Rams.
The Rams hit only 35.3 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half, compared to the Dukes who converted better than half of their shots (17 of 30) as Duquesne ran their lead to as many as 36 points at the 4:48 mark of the second half en route to an easy victory.
The Rams were led by Alcius McIntoche who recorded a career-high 13 points in the contest. He was joined in double figures by newcomers Isiah Tucker and Michael Puckett who recorded 11 and 10 points each, respectively.
The Dukes were paced by Shawn James who led four DU players in double-figure scoring with 19 points. He also tallied a game-high four blocks in the win.
The loss drops the Rams to 1-2 on the season while the Dukes improve to 2-0 with the victory.
Winston-Salem State University returns to action on November 23, 2007 at 7:00 pm when they travel the six miles across town to face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 7:00 pm in the Twin City Shootout.
For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.
