On Jan. 19, 12 students represented Winston-Salem State University at the North Carolina A&T invitational. In a tournament shortened by inclement weather, Winston-Salem placed second out of 12 teams.
“I’m really disappointed play was interrupted. We wanted to play [tournament winners] University of Maryland Eastern Shore, but they didn’t anticipate the weather conditions,” Brian Jones said.
The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is a question and answer game for America’s historically black colleges and universities. WSSU fielded two teams for the event captained seniors Kristopher Ferguson and Terri Day.
The team has consistently done well well at the Aggie Tournament and the tournament is known for showcasing some of the best teams in the country.
The Red team led beat their first two opponents North Carolina A&T, with a score of 210-120, and Johnson C. Smith University, clinching the victory, 240-180. The Red team lost to the eventual tournament winner, UMES.
The final game began well for WSSU. At the half, they were up by almost forty points. UMES quickly closed the gap, overcoming the Red team, 185-255.
The White Team fared well in their division, winning all three of their games. The team had a close game with North Carolina Central, ending with a score of 160-130. They were able to completely shut out Bowie State, a 260-35 victory. They defeated Fayetteville State, with a score of 225-65
“Before the tournament, I was excited and got nervous once I faced the first team, then once I got used to the question format, I was fine,” said Barbara Moore.
Coach Marilyn Roseboro was enthused about the team’s performance.
“I think it was a great opportunity to start building on next year’s team. We’ll be losing three of our strongest players to graduation, and I feel confident about this team’s ability to do well in the national tournament.”
“I expect a showing just as strong as last year when we made it to the Sweet Sixteen,” Roseboro said, referring to the squad last year which made it to the playoffs in the national tournament.
The WSSU HCASC team will travel next to Fayetteville for their regional tournament, on Feb. 9th.