Jan. 18, 2009
Final Stats |
Notes
RICHMOND, Va. – Hampton handed Winston-Salem State their fourth consecutive loss on Sunday afternoon at the Richmond Coliseum in the first game of the 2009 Freedom Classic Festival as the Pirates downed the Rams 59-43 to win their third straight game over their long-time HBCU rival, relegating WSSU to 4-12 on the season in the process.
The 36th meeting between the two proud Historically Black Universities started with a roar as Hampton jumped out to an early lead, an advantage that they would never surrender en route to their second straight victory.
Woeful first-half shooting by the Rams helped the Pirates push their lead to as many as 18 points during the game's first 20 minutes. WSSU would hit only six of their 25 first-half field goals (24 percent) as the Pirates pulled away early.
HU's Michael Freeman sparked the early offensive performance for the Pirates as he recorded eight points and five rebounds in only 11 minutes of play during the first half en route to hitting four of his six field goal attempts.
Not to be outdone, WSSU's Paul Davis, fresh off of career highs in minutes, points, rebounds and assists in Saturday's contest at Howard, out-gunned Freeman during the game's first half as he tallied nine points and seven rebounds during his 11 minutes of play in the period.
Davis' production would prove to be one of the lone bright spots for the Rams during the first half as the Pirates hit 14 of their 30 field goal attempts and carried a comfortable 15-point advantage, at 32-17, into the halftime intermission.
Unlike teams of lesser character, the Rams responded in the game's final 20 minutes of play as WSSU cut the Hampton lead to 10 points on four occasions in a valiant comeback attempt.
Despite struggling with the aggressive Rams' bid for another come-from-behind victory, the Pirates, a team renowned as a perennial MEAC power, refused to allow WSSU any closer than nine points for the remainder of the contest en route to the win, a win that kept the Rams winless at 0-3 this season in neutral-site games.
“We were pleased with our effort and heart in the second half, but we need that for a full 40 minutes” WSSU head coach Bobby Collins commented postgame. “We can't play in spurts in this league versus this competition. We need to play a full game, and we just didn't do that tonight.”
Leading the way for the Rams was Paul Davis who recorded his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 12 assists and a career-high six blocked shots. Joining Davis in double-figures were Brian Fisher and Jamal Durham who each recorded 11 points in the losing effort.
With the victory the Pirates improve to 9-8 overall and push their win streak over the Rams to three games. The Rams fall to 4-12 overall as WSSU has now lost four consecutive games. WSSU trails in the all-time series with Hampton 22-14.
The Rams return to action on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6:00 p.m. as they face the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University at the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. in the first of a pair of meetings between the two rivals in 2008-09.
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.
