Feb. 11, 2008
Final Stats |
Notes
BALTIMORE, MD - For the third consecutive game the Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team shot below 30 percent from the field, and for the third straight game the Rams took a loss as Coppin State University downed WSSU 62-44 in Baltimore, Maryland on Monday evening.
The loss drops the Rams' record to 8-14 overall and runs WSSU's road losing streak to an all-time high of 14 games. Winston-Salem State has not won a road contest since Jan. 27, 2007 when they earned a victory over Bethune-Cookman, a span of 14 consecutive losses away from home.
Again it would be poor shooting that would doom the Rams. WSSU started the contest with a Darius Floyd lay-up off of the game's opening tip but would then go nearly six minutes without a field goal as the Eagles ripped off a 13-0 run that gave them what would prove to be an insurmountable advantage.
WSSU would mount a run of their own as they trimmed the CSU lead back to five points midway through the first half of play before allowing the host-team Eagles to push the cushion back to a half-high 12 points with 4:21 remaining in the first period.
A jumper by Darrell Wonge, coupled with a Brian Fisher lay-up and a pair of Corey Morris free throws allowed the Rams to head to the locker room at halftime trailing by only six points at 27-21 following a 6-0 run, but much to the chagrin of head coach Bobby Collins, the Rams' newfound offensive output would be short-lived.
The Rams tallied only six field goals in the game's final 20 minutes of play as WSSU missed 22 of their 28 shots from the field en route to a 21.4 percent second-half shooting percentage.
Conversely, the Eagles hit 52.6 percent of their shots in the second half as they turned in a 10-of-19 shooting performance and used a 16-7 run to open the half to secure their seventh win of the season.
The Rams shooting woes continued on Monday evening as even experience-laden players had trouble hitting the mark. Junior forward Jamal Durham missed all 12 of his attempts from the field and sophomore Brian Fisher, a player with 43 career starts, hit only four of his 15 field goals attempts.
Despite his shooting difficulty, Durham pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of playing time for WSSU while Fisher tallied 11 points in the loss. Leading the way for the Rams was Darius Floyd who recorded a team-high 12 points.
Antwan Harrison led the Eagles with 15 points as he paced four Coppin State players in double-digit scoring in the victory.
The win improves the Eagles to 7-19 overall while the Rams fall to 8-14 overall with the loss. The Rams have now lost three straight games while the Eagles have won a season-high three consecutive contests.
WSSU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4:00 pm as they travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Howard University Bison.
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.
