Feb. 7, 2011

Box Score

RALEIGH, NC - The Winston-Salem State Rams (16-4, 9-3 CIAA) made it look easy in a 61-54 win at Saint Augustine's (6-14, 4-7 CIAA), Monday evening. The Rams controlled the game from the beginning and controlled all 40 minutes of the action behind a dominant defensive effort and a strong shooting performance. The win was a big one for the Rams who are looking to pick up some key road victories.

"Every road win is big. This is a team that beat Shaw. They should have beaten Livingstone the other night," WSSU head coach Bobby Collins said. "They've done an impressive job of doing what they're doing with what they have."

Though the Rams dominated every aspect of the game, the team's defensive effort took center stage as WSSU held the Falcons to shooting 31.1% from the field and totaled seven blocked shots in the game. Offensively, the Rams had a solid effort, but managed just 61 points in the win. Senior center Paul Davis led the way as he controlled the paint with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four blocked shots. Junior guard Lamar Monger struggled with foul troubles, scoring just 13 points while redshirt-junior guard Dominic Alston added 10 points.

"We had fun tonight. The other night I saw a little bit of tension," Collins added. "Tonight, I saw a little bit of relaxation and a bit more focus."

The Rams took control of the game early with a dominant first half effort en route to a 33-21 halftime lead. The Rams' defensive effort took center stage in the half as the team held the Falcons to shooting just 25.9% from the field for the half. The early first half was a battled with neither team going ahead by more than four minutes for the first 10 minutes of play, but the Rams would soon take control with a 17-3 run left the Rams ahead, 29-16 with 2:32 left to play. A Davis dunk would cap the Rams' dominant efforts as the team took its largest lead 33-16 with 1:56 left in the half. Though the Rams would cool off in the final minute, the team took the 33-21 lead into the locker room at the half.

In the second half, the Rams continued to cruise, but had to fight off a pesky Falcons team that was not ready to give in. The Rams answered their first challenge early when the Falcons cut the WSSU lead down to 11 points 36-25 with 17:23 left. However, the Rams pushed their lead back to 17 points on a jumper by junior forward Stephon Platt with 13:52 left to play. The Rams would push their lead to 19 points at the 2:53 mark on a pair of Monger free throws before fending off a late rally by the Falcons. A late SAC run would cut the WSSU lead down to single digits, but it wasn't enough as the Rams finished the night with the 61-54 win.

The Rams will return to Raleigh, N.C., Saturday when the team takes on the Shaw Bears. 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.