Jan. 21, 2008
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WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Despite recording the first 30-point game in the Rams' Division I era, WSSU senior forward Darrell Wonge's three-point try fell just short of the mark on Monday afternoon as Hampton escaped the Joel Coliseum with a 64-62 victory in men's collegiate basketball action between two bitter rivals.
Despite the coach speak from both head coaches leading up to Saturday's meeting, the action on the court spoke volumes about just how important a victory on Monday meant to both programs as the game would feature two intentional fouls and a pair of technical fouls in a highly emotional contest.
WSSU head coach Bobby Collins, a man who led the Pirates to the 2006 MEAC title, three MEAC title appearances, and an NCAA Tournament berth in his four years as the head man at Hampton led his young Rams into the first meeting between the two programs in 12 seasons and nearly beat his former team, a team laden with talent that he was responsible for bringing to the Hampton, Virginia campus.
Despite the loss on Monday, Collins has already proven that he has laid the foundation of a winning Division I program at WSSU as the Rams nearly knocked off the Pirates, a team that has posted an undefeated conference mark at the midway point of the season, and a team that many college basketball insiders feel will cruise to the conference crown.
"I'm proud of the way our kids played. We played hard against a very good team and just had some trouble finishing at certain times. If this is any indication of how good we can eventually be, then I am more than pleased. This [Hampton team] is the MEAC's best team and we played them right down to the buzzer tonight. We are getting there" Collins said in post game interviews.
The Rams would hold a four-point halftime advantage and ride that cushion deep into the second half before the Pirates tied the contest at 58-58 with just over three minutes to play.
A layup by Michael Freeman put Hampton up for good with 93 seconds to play as the Rams fell just short of knocking off the Pirates.
The Rams were the benificiaries of the first 30-point game by a WSSU player in the Division I era as Darrell Wonge tallied a career-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field as he very nearly led his Rams to a win. Wonge would be the only Ram to record a double-digit scoring total as Jamal Durham checked in with nine points and four rebounds.
Leading the way for the Pirates was Rashad West, who despite a difficult three-of-16 shooting performance from the field was able to pace Hampton with 17 points, 11 of which came from the free throw line.
West led four HU players into double-digit scoring as the Pirates were held to 37.3 percent shooting by the Rams who forced 21 turnovers from HU, a team averaging only 13 turnovers per game.
The loss drops the Rams to 7-9 overall while Hampton improves to 10-6 (4-0 MEAC) with the win.
Winston-Salem State returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4:00 pm when they travel 31 miles to Greensboro, NC to face the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University at the Corbett Center in MEAC league contest.
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 WSSURams.com.
