March 2, 2009

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Nearly nine minutes without a field goal midway through the second half of play spelled doom for the Rams of Winston-Salem State University on Monday evening at the Joel Coliseum as Bethune-Cookman mounted a 13-0 run to blow open a close game en route to handing the Rams a 64-49 loss in a MEAC men's basketball contest that was shown live on ESPNU.

A seven-point contest at halftime, with Bethune-Cookman leading 29-22, saw the Rams cut the deficit to only two points at 31-29 with 17:07 to play as Winston-Salem State mounted a 14-2 run over the final two minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second period as the host-team looked to be posing a challenge to the Wildcats.

The challenge was short-lived however as Bethune-Cookman mounted a 13-0 run of their own, due in large part to the Rams' failure to record a field goal over a span of eight minutes and 40 seconds of play as the Wildcats blew open a close game en route to evening their record at 15-15 overall (8-7 MEAC).

For the 13th time in the 2008-09 season the Rams would shoot less than 40 percent from the field as the Rams hit only 36.5 percent of their field goals, hitting 19 of 52 attempts.

Conversely, the Wildcats benefitted from a 55.6 percent shooting performance as Bethune-Cookman hit 25 of 45 field goal attempts as WSSU dropped to 0-10 on the season when allowing an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better from the field.

Brian Fisher's team-leading 21 points on seven-of-14 shooting would not be enough for the Rams on Monday evening as Fisher was the only WSSU player to score more than 10 points in the contest.

C.J. Reed led the Wildcats with 21 points as the son of B-CU head coach Clifford Reed, Jr. paced three Bethune-Cookman players in double figures in the victory.

The win improves Bethune-Cookman to 15-15 on the season and drops the Rams to 8-20 on the season overall with the loss.

Winston-Salem State University returns to action on March 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. as they play host to the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University at the Joel Coliseum.

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.