Rams Destroy Pioneers By 33; Earn 85-52 Victory

Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team came charging out of the locker on Monday evening and hit their first eight shots en route to an 8-2 lead, and never looked back, eventually earning an easy 85-52 win, their largest margin of victory in this young season.

The Rams built their lead to 21-8 after only five minutes of play and eventually built the lead to sixteen points with a little less than ten minutes remaining in the first half behind the spotless shooting of junior guard Jay Maynard who would hit five of his first six shots from three-point range.

The Rams transition offense picked apart the undermanned Pioneers earning them 12 points off of turnovers in the first half. However, it was not the only reason that the Rams were so successful in the first stanza of play, as WSSU was able to use settled situations to execute their offense and move the ball into the post for east inside buckets, netting 22 points in the paint.

The Rams were firing on all cylinders right up until the final horn of the first half, as WSSU built its largest lead of the half, a 31 point margin, just before the horn signaled the end of first-half play when Alleggrie Guinn nailed two free throws.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first, as the Rams continued to shoot the ball better than in any game this season thus far, connecting on 33 of 67 total shots in the contest, for a shooting percentage of 47.8%. The Rams shooting cooled off some in the second half, but the streakier shooting only led to more offensive rebounds for the Rams who picked up 22 second chance points in the game.

The game was an entertaining one for the crowd of over 3000 fans which had gathered to watch the chaos, as it was not short on highlight-reel action. From Maynard nailing five straight three-point field goals, to Kassim Richardson's mind-blowing three-straight blocks on one Pioneer possession, the game just seemed to go the Rams way. Whether it was the loose balls, or the friendly bounces, the Rams created opportunities and good luck as their hustle and tenacity was evident from opening whistle to final horn.

When the dust in the CE Gaines Center settled, the Rams had earned their seventh victory of the season, an 85-52 drubbing of Columbia Union. Every Ram would play, and every Ram would score in the contest, as Jay Maynard would pace the Rams with 17 points. Following Maynard closely was Juston White, who has come on strong as of late, as he tallied 15 points, and Alleggrie Guinn, who once again proved that he possesses confidence and poise that is out of the norm for a freshman, as he tallied ten points.

Even fan favorite JD Spinks netted four points, drilling a long-range three-pointer and picking up a free throw. Local product Kassim Richardson, despite standing only 6'5", continued to dominate the low post as he picked up eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks (three on one possession, on one Columbia Union player).

With the victory the Rams improve to 7-8 overall and remain 2-2 in the CIAA. The Pioneers fall to 0-12 overall, and are still looking for the spark that earns them their first win. The Rams will have Tuesday off, return to practice on Wednesday, and square off against Shaw University in a CIAA grudge-match at 7:30 pm on Thursday in the CE Gaines Center.