Home woes continue for Rams

Winston-Salem State has struggled to defend its' home court all season, and the Feb. 9 game against Coppin State followed that trend.

The 68-58 loss to the Eagles was the Rams' fourth straight home loss. It's a fact that has not gone lost on head coach Bobby Collins or his players.

Click below to view the box score: WSSU Rams vs Coppin State Eagles

"Anytime you lose at home it's a downer," he said. "You want to protect your home court and we haven't been able to do that. We've got to find an answer on how to do that."

The teams went in to halftime tied at 25, but Coppin State proved to be the more poised team, led by point guard Tywain McKee. The MEAC preseason player of the year finished with 13 points, six assists and three steals and was a big reason for the win.

"He's just the ultimate point guard that any coach would love to have on his team," Collins said. "He's just a very good basketball player, very smart, very heady."

McKee sparked the Eagles to take a 41-32 lead with 12:49 remaining in the second half. The Rams would not go quietly however, as they managed to cut the lead to 43-40 with 11:24. The catalyst for the Rams' comeback was junior guard Brian Fisher, who at one point hit three consecutive 3 pointers.

"My teammates did a great job of setting screens, getting me open," he said. "I just concentrated and knocked them down."

Fisher led the Rams with a game-high 17 points. Jamal Durham finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Rams would get no closer as the Eagles outscored them 11-2 in the next five minutes to take control of the game for good. The loss drops the Rams' record to 6-16 on the season.

Collins said that although he saw stretches of good play from his team, there is still something missing.

"I didn't think we played together as a team tonight," he said. "I think that we did some good things to get back into the game but I think if we would've played as a team we would've been victorious."