Jan. 8, 2011

Box Score

RICHMOND, VA - The Winston-Salem State Rams (8-1, 2-0 CIAA) shook off a sluggish start to pick up a hard-fought 59-54 win at Virginia Union (3-4, 1-1 CIAA), Saturday evening. In a game that was a tough physical contest from beginning to end, the Rams' hard-nosed defensive effort pushed the team to the win over the aggressive Panthers in the victory.

"I think the better our competition is, the more focused we are. I saw a focused team out there tonight. Not just on offense, but defensively. I like to coach a team like that," WSSU men's basketball head coach Bobby Collins said. "I thought it was a team effort. [Senior forward] Corey [Morris] gave us some positive minutes and [senior forward] McIntoche [Alcius] gave us some energy early. It was a total team effort."

The Rams found themselves facing a number of challenges as the team not only prevailed against a tough Panthers team, but also a hostile arena filled with Panther fans. "I love it like this because I don't have to motivate our guys to go out and play," Collins added. "As you can see, they love playing in a hostile environment."

The game itself was a tough, defensive contest with both teams finding points hard to come by in the game. The two squads combined for just 113 points in the game and neither team shot better than 40% in the game. The Rams shot 38.3% from the field while holding the Panthers to shooting 33.3% from the field. Both teams also struggled with turnovers with 36 combined turnovers in the contest. WSSU redshirt-senior guard Shelton Carter led the way for the Rams with 17 points and five rebounds in the game. Senior guard Andrew Jackson also had a great effort with 14 points and seven rebounds. He also added a pair of assists.

Things were tough early for the Rams as the team fell into an 18-11 deficit midway through the first half, but the Rams had an answer. Spurred by a VUU technical foul at the 9:08 mark, the Rams ran off a 20-9 run that closed the half and took a 37-26 lead at halftime. A three-pointer by senior guard Andrew Jackson at the 1:59 mark gave the Rams their first double-digit lead of the game while a jumper by senior forward Corey Morris at the buzzer capped the run and gave the Rams their 11-point halftime lead.

The battle continued in the second half as a Panther jumper early in the half capped a 7-1 run by the home team and cut the WSSU lead down to just five points. However, the Rams would continue to hold off the Panthers and never gave up the lead. The Rams would twice push their lead to double digits through the remainder of the half. Though things would get heated between the two teams with a double-technical called late in the half, the Rams would remain strong to finish out the 59-54 victory.

With the win, the Rams remain a perfect 2-0 in CIAA play and will remain on the road when the team heads to Bowie, Maryland to face the Bowie State Bulldogs, Monday evening. For more information on Rams basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.