Dec. 6, 2008

Final Stats

ORANGEBURG, SC - The Winston-Salem State Rams (1-6) picked up their first win of the season, defeating the South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-3) in 68-65 road thriller Saturday evening. Despite trailing all game long, the Rams battled back to claim their first lead of the game with 00:17 on the clock as freshman guard Diontae Gibson hit a clutch three-pointer that sealed the win for the Rams.

The Rams exorcised a number of demons in the loss as the team snapped an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season and recorded their first road win since defeating Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach last season. After opening the 2008-09 season with a 33.1% field goal percentage in their first six games, the Rams shot a scorching 47.5% from the field and scored a team season-high 68 points to pull out the victory.

Even more impressive for the Rams was the fact that the team pulled out the victory despite missing leading scorer Jamal Durham who missed his first game in 97 outings. The senior forward suffered a shoulder injury in Friday's practice session and was unable to suit up for the Rams.

The WSSU tandem of junior guard Brian Fisher and freshman guard Diontae Gibson led the way for the Rams, combining for 45 of the team's 68 points in the contest. Fisher led the WSSU attack with a team-high 22 points in the game while Gibson added 13 points, including going 2-for-2 from the three-point line, including the game winner. WSSU sophomore center Paul Davis also had a breakout game with 10 points and seven rebounds in the game.

The Rams had a slow start out of the gate as the team fell into an early 17-4 hole to open the game. A pair of jumpers by Gibson and Fisher turned out to be the only field goals that the Rams could manage in the first nine minutes of the game and left the Rams trailing early in the first half. Though the team was down early, the Rams continued to battle down the stretch of the half. A Fisher jumper with 5:59 left in the half would cap a WSSU run and pulled the Rams to within seven points, 21-28. The two teams would continue to battle down the stretch of the half as Gibson's first three-pointer of the game pulled the Rams to within five points, 26-31 with 3:14 left in the first half. The Rams continued to battle and kept the game in reach as the team took a 26-35 score into the locker room at halftime.

The second half began in a fashion similar to the first half as South Carolina State outscored the Rams 8-4 in the early going to take a 43-30 lead with 16:24 left in the game. Backed into a corner, the Rams came out swinging as a Fisher jumper at the 10:45 mark cut the Rams' deficit down to six points, 45-51. With the game within reach, the Rams made their move in the final minutes of the game and fought their way to the victory.

It was at the 4:50 mark that the Rams would make their move as the squad turned up its defensive efforts, holding the home team without a field goal for the rest of the game. In the final five minutes of the game, the Rams outscored the Bulldogs, 15-4 in the final five minutes to take over the game. The excitement began at the 1:01 mark when WSSU freshman Brandon Hobbs hit a free throw that left the Rams trailing 65-63. The free throw was set up by sophomore guard Isiah Tucker who was fouled while driving to the basket and was injured and not able to take the free throws. After a miss on the second free throw, Davis would tip the ball in to tie the game at 65-65 with 00:59. WSSU sophomore forward McIntoche Alcius would get a steal on the ensuing South Carolina State inbounds. Following a timeout by WSSU head coach Bobby Collins, Tucker would find a wide open Gibson on the left baseline to set up the game-winning shot with 00:17 left. With a 68-65 lead, the Rams would keep up the defensive pressure on the Bulldogs and held the team to a badly missed three-point attempt with 00:11. The Rams would continue to hold the Bulldogs and record their first win of the season.

With the win, the Rams improve to 1-6 on the season and will head to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in a December 13th. For more information on Rams basketball, contact the WSSU Department of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.