WSSU Rams Down Virginia Union on First Day of CE Gaines Classic

Winston-Salem, NC - When one sits down to think about a nickname for the Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team this season, so many descriptive terms come to mind. The "comeback kids", or perhaps the "cardiac kids" even, but whatever you call them, the Rams certainly are exciting to watch.

The latest victims of a Ram comeback were the Panthers of Virginia Union University. The Panthers, a CIAA rival, came to the CE Gaines Center to play a non-conference contest versus the Rams in the first day of the 2003 edition of the three-day CE "Bighouse" Gaines Basketball Classic. The Panthers and Rams battled in a heated contest throughout the entire first half, with the Rams once again trailing at halftime, by a narrow two-point margin at 32-30.

Coach Philip Stitt's Rams came out of the locker room flat, and immediately fell behind by as many as 11 points midway through the second half. However, the Rams, as they have done all season thus far, battled back to take the lead by one point with just over six minutes remaining. It is a lead that they would never relinquish.

Spurred on by another spectacular shooting performance from guard Jay Maynard, who again shot unbelievably from three-point range, this time going 5 for 11, the Rams earned the hard-fought victory 81-76.

Perhaps the most impressive performer on the evening will not even show up in the score sheet, as walk-on guard John Adams' hustle gave the Rams the edge. Adams was all over the floor, seemingly never getting tired in 26 minutes of work. He took charges, deflected countless passes, made solid defensive plays, and chipped in five assists, in addition to contributing eight points. His all around effort made him invaluable to the Rams and their eventual victory.

With the victory the Rams improve to 5-5 overall and remain 1-1 in the CIAA. They will have an evening off as the Panthers of Virginia Union and the Lions of the University of North Alabama will square off against one another tomorrow evening in the second day of the CE Gaines Classic at 7:00 pm. The Rams will return to action on Saturday, January 4th, 2003 at 5:00 pm when they play host to North Alabama in the final game of the 2003 CE Gaines Classic. Tickets are available by calling the WSSU ticket office at (336) 750-3220.