Missed free-throws and turnovers doomed Winston-Salem State as it lost to North Carolina A&T 73-60 on Jan. 24 in front of 8,400 plus fans at the LJVM Coliseum.
The Rams hit just seven of 20 free throw attempts and had 22 turnovers compared to just nine assists as they lost to the their biggest rival for the second time in three games dating back to last year.
Senior Jamal Durham led the Rams with 21 points, including three 3-point baskets. However, Durham was also part of the problem, hitting just two of eight free-throw attempts. After the game, he expressed his disappointment in the team’s performance.
“This was by far the biggest game of my four years here,” he said. “Being a senior and playing them at home. That’s just focus,” he said of the team’s miscues at the 3-point line.
“I missed about four or five free-throws down the stretch. Being a senior, I can’t do that.”
Junior guard Diontae Gibson was the only other Ram to score double figures, finishing with 15 points. Conversely, five Aggies scored in double figures, led by Tavarius Alston’s 15 points and six assists.
The Rams trailed by as many as 15 early in the second half, but managed to cut the lead to 67-60 on a Gibson layup with 3:19 left to play. That would be as close as the Rams got, however, as the Aggies went on a 6-0 scoring run to seal the game and hand the Rams their fifth loss in a row.
A&T took advantage of WSSU’s turnovers by scoring 13 points off of them. A&T coach Jerry Eaves was very happy with his team’s performance.
“We did play hard. We hung in there and created a ton of turnovers with our defense,” he said.
Eaves said that he knew the Rams wouldn’t go away easy.
“I knew they were gonna make runs,” he said. “But we weren’t going to give them consecutive baskets.”
Rams head coach Bobby Collins agreed with Durham that the Rams lacked focus against the Aggies.
“We didn’t make the plays we needed to make tonight,” he said. “We just didn’t make mentally tough plays.”
For full game stats, click the link below: WSSU Rams vs. NC A&T Aggies