ORANGEBURG, SC - The Winston-Salem State Rams (5-24) went out with a battle falling to the South Carolina State Bulldogs (13-16), 89-82, Friday night. Though the Rams had every opportunity to give up on the game, the team battled from the tip-off to the final horn. However, the effort was not enough to overcome a tough Bulldog squad that benefited from shooting 37.7% from the field and forced 17 WSSU turnovers. The story of the game was told on the free throw line where the Rams shot 76% (19-of-25) while the home court Bulldogs shot 81.4% (35-of-43).
Junior forward Darrell Wonge led the way for the Rams with a season-high 21 points, including hitting five three-pointers on the night. Fellow junior forward Norman Carter added 15 points in the contest. Sophomore forward Jamal Durham and freshman guard Brian Fisher were also both solid scoring 14 points each.
The first half turned out to be a battle for both teams as both teams found peaks and valleys on offense and defense. The two teams battled mightily in the early going with neither team leading by more than two points for the first 10 minutes of the half. Junior forward Darrell Wonge was hot in the early going scoring six of the Rams' first eight points on a pair of three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game. However, turnovers would slow down the team's offense midway through the half. The WSSU defense made up for the team's struggles on offense, however, keeping the game close through most of the half. However, the Rams were hampered by a late run by the Bulldogs that put the team down by nine points, 31-22 with 3:56 left in the half. However, the Rams continued to play tough scoring a pair of unanswered baskets in the final minute of the half, including hitting a lay-up with 00:02 left to cut the team's deficit down to just five points, 34-29 at halftime.
The second half was a battle from beginning to end as the Rams fought an clawed their way back after every SCSU run, but were unable to overcome some clutch shooting by the Bulldogs. Freshman guard Brian Fisher got the half started for the Rams with a three-pointer that cut the WSSU deficit down to just two points, 34-32 with 19:43 left in the game. The tough battle began to take its toll on the Rams as the team fell victim to a 10-2 run by the Bulldogs and gave the team a 44-34 deficit, the largest of the game. The Rams would take advantage of an SCSU technical foul as senior Curtis Hines hit a pair of free throws followed by a Wonge lay-up that cut the Rams' deficit down to just four six points, 42-38 with just under 16 minutes left to play. South Carolina State would continue to control the contest, however, as a 7-2 run by the Bulldogs left the Rams trailing, 49-40 with 12:54 left to play. The Rams' struggles continued on offense with just one field goal in the previous four minutes.
Despite the teams' struggles, the Rams bounced back, as Wonge's third three-pointer of the night would spark a WSSU run that pulled the team back into the game. Senior guard Curtis Hines hit a three pointer with just over nine minutes left to play that pulled the Rams to within one point, 58-57 with 8:53 left in the game. However, in the same way that the Rams benefited from an SCSU technical foul earlier in the game, the team also fell victim to a technical when Wonge was called for a technical foul. The resulting SCSU free throws, followed by another pair of SCSU free throws would put the team back down by four points and one again left the Rams fighting back from behind. South Carolina State would once again put on the pressure scoring a pair of unanswered lay-ups to remain in control of the contest, 66-59. It was Brian Fisher that would answer the call for the Rams, hitting a three-pointer with 7:50 left to play that kept the game within reach, 66-62.
The next two minutes were crucial for the Rams as the team gave up nine unanswered points to the Bulldogs and fell behind, 75-62. Wonge would pull the Rams back into the game hitting a pair of three-pointers that cut the WSSU deficit back to just eight points, 75-68. Though the Rams would continue to battle down the stretch, the team was never able to break the eight-point hold that the Bulldogs has on the game. The Rams' attempts to claw their way back into the game were slowed by some quality free throw shooting by the Bulldogs as the team hit five of their last six free throws over the last two minutes.
Junior guard Roy Peake led the Rams' last big run scoring back-to-back lay-ups that brought the Rams to within six points, 78-84. The final two minutes were marred by fouls and some clutch Bulldog free throws that put the game out of reach for the Rams. The team could not get any closer than the final seven point deficit, 89-82.
The Rams end the 2006-07 season with three straight losses and the team finishes the year with a 5-24 record in its first full season in NCAA Division I.
