North Carolina A&T 19, Winston Salem State 10

Aggies start Lee era with statement win

Alonzo Lee built a reputation as an aggressive defensive coordinator in 12 seasons coaching in the MEAC. Turns out Alonzo Lee the head coach is even more aggressive. Senior quarterback Carlton Fears passed for 131 yards and ran for 78 and a touchdown to lead N.C. A&T's offense during a 19-10 victory over Winston-Salem State in Lee's debut as the Aggies' head coach Saturday night at Bowman Gray Stadium. It wasn't that close.

The Aggies' offense left some scoring chances on the field. They missed a field-goal attempt, saw another field-goal try blocked, got stopped on a fourth-and-3 gamble at the 8 and let the first-half clock run out 2 yards short of the end zone. "I thought we moved the ball well, but we've got to get better in the red zone," Lee said. "We were in the red zone too many times where we did not come up with points. We've got to work on it. We're going to go back to the drawing board and find our best red-zone plays and get better." On this night, the Aggies didn't need those points because their defense was flat-out dominant. A&T grudgingly surrendered just 90 total yards, had four sacks and recovered two fumbles.

Photo Gallery: N.C. A&T 19, Winston-Salem State 10

Aggies beat Rams 19-10

N.C. A&T won the backyard battle with Winston-Salem State, mainly because it had fewer mistakes. The Aggies won 19-10 in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 at Bowman Gray Stadium. Coach Alonzo Lee of the Aggies, making his debut, built his reputation on defense as an assistant coach. That trait has carried over because the Aggies held the offensive-stagnant Rams to just 90 yards. The Rams' defense, spending way too much time on the field, tired in the fourth quarter and the Aggies took advantage. Coach Kermit Blount of the Rams summed it up best: "The bottom line is we can't turn the ball over and we can't keep our defense out there as long as we did."

The game was tied at 10 going into the fourth quarter, but the momentum swung toward the Aggies after a bad snap on a punt by long-snapper Rodney Taylor of the Rams. Pinned deep in their own territory punter Landon Thayer had to fall on a bad snap that nearly sailed all the way over his head. The Aggies took over on the Rams' 10 and after the defense held again; freshman place-kicker Patrick Courtney made a 25-yard field goal for a 13-10 lead with 7:54 left. The way the Rams' offense was going, the field goal was enough.

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Rams to be host to MEAC party they can't enjoy

Imagine having a party in your own backyard and being unable to get closer than a look through the sliding-glass door. That's the situation Winston-Salem State is in as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournaments roll into Joel Coliseum this week. WSSU is still in transition to Division I, and if it decides to stay on that path, it would be eligible for the tournament in 2011. Nobody said that the transition would be easy, but men's coach Bobby Collins said that having the tournament here makes it tougher on his Rams.

"That's what has made it worse is everybody is coming here for the tournament, and we can't be there to compete in it," Collins said. "We are hosting and are the home team, and it's now hitting home that we aren't invited." At least the WSSU men's team will get to play -- it will meet N.C. Central in a bonus game on Saturday between the women's and men's championship games. But that's just an exhibition to try to draw more fans to Joel Coliseum for the title games.

"It's a party we can't come to, but we are going to crash the party anyway," Collins said, referring to the game against N.C. Central. Adding to the disappointment for the Rams is that WSSU has spring break this week, so friends of players are taking vacations far from campus. The Rams will practice most of the week, and some will venture to Joel Coliseum to watch, said guard Brian Fisher. "We'll sit in the stands and maybe heckle some of the players," Fisher said jokingly. "Nobody wants to just watch, but that's what we'll do until the game with N.C. Central on Saturday."

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Caldwell, former athletics director, hires attorney to get his job back with WSSU

Chico Caldwell, fired as Winston-Salem State's athletics director on Feb. 9, has hired an attorney and is hoping to get paid for the last two years of his contract. Chancellor Donald Reaves fired Caldwell, saying he wanted "fresh ideas" for the athletics department. Caldwell, who hired Robert Elliot as his attorney, had contract worth about $125,000 a year. Elliot said that Caldwell is due the rest of the money on his contract.

"We feel there was no cause for termination," Elliot said. "…Chico really wants to feel whole again and get this behind him." Elliot said that he and Caldwell have sent a letter to WSSU officials hoping to resolve the situation. Elliot also released a statement detailing Caldwell's accomplishments during his eight years of service to WSSU. The statement outlines Caldwell's arguments that his firing was unjustified. "Chancellor Reaves has announced that he wished to replace Dr. Caldwell with a new athletics director of his choosing," the statement reads.

"Given Dr. Caldwell's performance, there is no justifiable cause for Chancellor Reaves' action which constitutes a break of Dr. Caldwell's employment contract." A spokesman in Reaves' office said that Reaves would not comment about the firing or the contract status. Caldwell's statement said that he remains committed to Winston-Salem State. "While Dr. Caldwell will exercise all legal remedies available to him to correct this wrongful action, he remains committed and loyal to Winston-Salem State which he has served so well for the last eight years," the statement said.

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WSSU's 31% athletic fee increase rejected

WSSU pays $15,000 per game to rent Bowman Gray Stadium and $3,500 to rent the Coliseum or the Coliseum Annex. Shouldn't the alleged "revenue sports" have generated some revenue before officials committing to a move to Division I?

RALEIGH, N.C. - Winston-Salem State University was dealt another setback yesterday in its bid to join Division I athletics. The university wanted to substantially raise the athletics fee that students pay to raise money for more scholarships, more coaches and other requirements of Division I. But the fee increase was rejected by the UNC board of governors, which met to approve tuition and fees at all 16 campuses in the UNC system.

The board approved tuition and fee increases that were generally smaller than what most schools had requested. Overall, average in-state tuition and fees for undergraduates in the UNC system will go up 3.9 percent, or $162, in the school year that will begin this fall. Specific increases vary from school to school. Those rates still must be approved by the General Assembly. Erskine Bowles, the president of the UNC system, said that it is especially important to avoid dramatic tuition increases during a recession. "In these times, it's really hard to raise tuition, because we know that families are suffering, that they're hurting, and we want to keep this university accessible and affordable," Bowles said.

Bowman Gray Stadium is the home of the Winston-Salem State Rams and has been hosting stock car races every saturday night during summer since 1949 (this is the minor leagues of NASCAR) on a 1/4 mile oval track surrounding the football field.

At WSSU, in-state tuition will go up by 4 percent, to $1,769 for a full-time undergraduate. The athletics fee, however, will remain the same, at $579 for a full-time student -- and that will make it difficult for the school to close a $1.5 million deficit in its athletics budget. If the school can't raise money for athletics some other way, it will be much tougher for the school to meet the standards that the NCAA requires of Division I programs.

"That question of moving on to Division I is still up in the air," WSSU Chancellor Donald Reaves said in an interview yesterday. "It was a big percentage of the funding that's needed to close the gap, and without it, it will be difficult." WSSU is in its third year of a complicated transition that is supposed to end in 2011 with the university joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. It is currently classified as a Division II program.

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Hampton tops WSSU 59-43

Reeling Rams commit 25 turnovers, lose their fourth straight

RICHMOND,VA - Another game, another loss for Winston-Salem State. The pattern was all too familiar for Coach Bobby Collins of the Rams. After sleepwalking through the early parts of the first half against Hampton, the Rams fell in a deep hole and spent the rest of the way trying to climb out. It all added up to a 59-43 loss to the Pirates in the Freedom Classic at the Richmond Coliseum.

In his postgame address to his team, Collins spent about 20 extra minutes in the locker room and his message was clear. "He just wants us to stay positive and he said we lost this game, it wasn't anything that Hampton did, we lost it," said reserve guard Brandon Hobbs of the Rams. The Rams (4-12) had a season-high 25 turnovers, shot 33 percent and looked out of sorts most of the game. It was the Rams' fourth straight loss.

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Night sessions on tap for WSSU football team

Photo: Winston Salem State University head football coach Kermit Blount

Rams will conduct their first spring practice tonight

Sitting in his new office among the many boxes that have yet to be unpacked, Coach Kermit Blount of Winston-Salem State was looking forward to getting back on the field. Blount’s office, as well as the offices of his assistant coaches is in the new field house adjacent to Bowman Gray Stadium.

“We’ve settled in here pretty well,” Blount said about the new digs, , which cost nearly $3 million to build. “But we have to get down to business with practice cranking up.”

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WSSU Holds On For 68-65 Victory Over Norfolk State

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team downed one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's best teams on Monday evening at the Joel Coliseum Annex as second-ranked Norfolk State University could not withstand a late WSSU rally as the Rams earned a 68-65 victory on a night when three WSSU seniors played in the final home game of their careers.

The two teams played dead-even basketball during the first 20 minutes of play as the lead changed hands and was deadlocked a total of 16 times (eight times each).

It would be only fitting that the halftime score found the two teams deadlocked at 23-23 headed into the locker room for intermission.

19 total first-half turnovers would eclipse the total of 18 made field goals, yet the two teams would respond with furious action in the second half as both WSSU and Norfolk State nearly doubled up their first half point totals in a contest that finished with 17 ties and 20 lead changes.

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WSSU Rams win 58-57 at Howard U. to end their road skid

Photo: Jamal Durham free throws help WSSU defeat a struggling Howard Bison team. The 6-6/215 junior forward and Computer Science major is from North Davidson H.S., Winston-Salem, N.C.








WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jamal Durham, who has been fighting a shooting slump, hit two crucial free throws with two seconds left last night to lift Winston-Salem State to a 58-57 victory over Howard.

The Rams broke a nine-game road losing streak this season and a 14-game road losing streak over the past two seasons. “It’s just a relief,” Durham said. “There’s no doubt that we’ve struggled on the road, so this is nice that I was able to help out my teammates and hit the shots.”

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Coppin State tops struggling WSSU Rams

Photo: Darius Floyd, 6-1/185 guard from Gastonia, NC, Ashbrook H.S., was Rams leading scorer with 12 points.

Rams lose 62-44, are 0-9 away from home

BALTIMORE - Winston-Salem State’s road losing streak continued last night in a 62-44 loss to Coppin State at the Coppin Center. The Rams (8-13) are 0-9 this season on the road and have lost 14 in a row on the road during the past two seasons. Poor shooting hurt the Rams last night as they fell behind 11-2 in the early going. They shot 26 percent from the field.

Having one of the worst shooting nights of his career for the Rams was Jamal Durham, who was 0 for 12 from the field. He had 13 rebounds.

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WSSU signs 4 more to complete recruiting class

For the first time in the past 11 years of recruiting, Coach Kermit Blount of Winston-Salem State did not sign a local player. The Rams completed their class of 14yesterday with the addition of four players. The four signees announced yesterday included two teammates from Georgetown Prep in Washington, D.C. - Edgar Sheppard, a 6-4, 305 offensive lineman, and Jimmy Johnson III, a 6-3, 230-pound tight end.

Johnson, is the son of Jimmy Johnson II, a former NFL player who is the tight-ends coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Also signed was defensive end Akeem Ward, 6-4, 260, from Holly Springs, N.C. and Stephen Young of Woodbridge, Va., a 6-3, 260, defensive end and a state champion in wrestling in the heavyweight division for Gar-Field High School and has a career record of 106-22.

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WSSU struggles past FAMU Rattlers

Winston-Salem State broke its three-game losing streak, but by no means was it easy. The Rams stumbled out of the Joel Coliseum Annex last night with a 59-57 victory over Florida A&M. Missed free throws and bad decisions down the stretch nearly cost the Rams. Clinging to a two-point lead with nine seconds left, Roy Peake of the Rams missed a front end of a one-and-one opportunity. The Rattlers got the rebound, went down the court and Leslie Robinson, their best shooter, had a chance to win the game with a wide open 3-point attempt from the left baseline.

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FAMU coach Clark says she has fond memories of WSSU

Photo: Lady Rattler Jarquella Woods, 5-1 freshman guard, Hardaway HS, Columbus, GA.

She had a 111-85 record in seven seasons on the Rams' sideline.

Coach Debra Clark said she will allow herself to be a little nostalgic when she leads the Florida A&M women against Winston-Salem State at 5:30 today at the Joel Coliseum Annex. Clark, who is in her seventh season at FAMU, was WSSU’s coach for seven seasons, from 1994 through 2001. “It’s kind of ironic that I’m coming back to Winston to play them; it’s going to be interesting,” she said. “I look forward to seeing a lot of folks that I know, so it will be a nice trip.”

“We’ve been hurt by injuries and everything else,” said Clark, whose Rattlers are 9-9 overall and 1-6 in the MEAC. “While it’s nice to be playing Winston, we are trying to get a win and get some momentum.”

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Florida A&M (8-11) travels to Winston-Salem State to face Rams (7-11)

Photo: Lamar Twitty, completed a double-double Monday against Delaware State, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. The 6-4/200 junior guard is from Boyd Anderson HS., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams return home to Winston-Salem, NC to face the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday evening at the Joel Coliseum Annex at 7:30 pm in MEAC men's basketball action as WSSU looks to snap a three-game losing streak. The match-up between the two teams, the second ever meeting, marks the first action between the two proud HBCU's in over a year.

Florida A&M enters into the contest riding a three-game win streak as the Rattlers look to extend their consecutive games won streak to a season-high four games.

The Rams will be broadcast the contest versus the Rattlers live on the radio on WSNC 90.5 FM. WSNC is the flagship station of the Rams Radio Broadcasting Network and will carry all WSSU games live on the radio in the greater Winston-Salem, NC area and worldwide on the Internet at www.WSSU.edu. Alan Chavous will provide all the play-by-play action with Kim Spears providing the color analysis.

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His Own Man: WSSU freshman is emerging from shadow of brother

It's easy to understand why freshman Isiah Tucker of Winston-Salem State plays with a chip on his shoulder. He has always been in the shadow of his older brother, P.J. Tucker. But he has lived with it his whole life and doesn't mind talking about it.

P.J. Tucker, a former star at Texas who now plays in Israel, is just two years older than Isiah. And at 6-5, he can do almost everything on the court - one reason that the Toronto Raptors made him the 35th pick in last year's NBA Draft. However, P.J. played in just 17 games for the Raptors, and is now playing overseas with hopes of getting back to the NBA.

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Short-handed NSU women surge to stunning victory

Photo: Natasha Huntley, 5-6 freshman guard from Greensboro, N.C. was instrumental in win with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

NORFOLK, VA - It started with a 3-pointer. Then another. And another. All in the span of six seconds. A coast-to-coast layup tied it. A clutch free throw provided the lead. And, finally, one frenzied defensive stop later, Norfolk State experienced the joy of six.

"It's overwhelming," said a beaming Tashawna Higgins after her three-point play with 11.7 left propelled the Spartans - all six of them - to an improbable 62-61 victory against Winston-Salem State on Monday night at Echols Hall.

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NSU win over Winston Salem State

Photo: Norfolk State University 6-0/175 junior guard Michael Deloach, Rocky Mount, N.C., Bonner Academy.

NORFOLK, VA - Ugly game. Didn't do the little things. Have to get better in a lot of areas. Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans shook his head as he rattled off areas of deficiency in his team's play Monday night. Imagine if the Spartans hadn't won by 15.

It's been that kind of roll lately for NSU, which is winning big even when the overall play comes up, at least by the coach's standards, relatively small. Michael Deloach scored 23 points as NSU thumped Winston-Salem State 82-67 for its seventh victory in eight games.

The Spartans (9-9) got more good news when they learned Morgan State knocked off Hampton on Monday. Both the Pirates and Spartans are 5-1 in the MEAC, a half-game behind Morgan State (6-1).

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Teamwork key for WSSU Rams win over Bison

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Another solid team effort, another win. That is the modus operandi for the Winston-Salem State University men's basketball team as of late and Saturday evening at the Joel Coliseum, it was no different as seven WSSU players had at least seven points as the Rams ran past the Howard Bison 64-56 in a MEAC men's basketball contest.

“This is a team that’s really coming around,” Collins said of the Rams, who improved to 7-8. “We have learned something from every game.

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Rested WSSU Rams ready to move on

Photo: WSSU Head Football Coach Kermit Blount

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

WSSU, coming off open date, is headed to Bethune-Cookman

There have been times in recent years when a week off has come at the wrong time for Winston-Salem State. But last Saturday’s open date couldn’t have come at a better time, according to Coach Kermit Blount.

“We needed it, that’s for sure,” said Blount, whose Rams were back at practice yesterday in preparation for Saturday’s game at Bethune-Cookman. “It just gave everybody a chance to take a step back because we’ve been going at this pretty hard since August.”

The Rams (3-3) are coming off a 27-23 win over Florida A&M on Oct. 6 in Indianapolis. Blount was pleased with his team’s effort and with getting the victory, but he was a little worried about a hangover effect of such a big win.

“I hope they aren’t still celebrating because it’s time to get back to work,” Blount said before yesterday’s practice. “I think these guys realize that we have more work to do this season, and it starts this week in practice.”

Blount said that the Rams had just two short practices last week, and he gave them the weekend off, something that quarterback Monte Purvis took advantage of.

Purvis, who has been nursing a sore left shoulder, said he mostly watched football and stayed on the couch.

“This break came at a good time for us seniors because it lets us know that we only have five more games left in our careers,” Purvis said. “I think in four of these next five games we lost to them last year, so we want to make up for that.”

Even though Purvis didn’t have very good passing numbers against Florida A&M, his grasp of the offense and confidence level in the second half was evident.

Photo: QB Monte Purvis

The Rams had two key series against the Rattlers in which Purvis used his savvy and his feet to gain valuable yardage. They scored touchdowns on both drives.

Purvis has rushed for 299 yards on 101 carries this season, and while the average is just three yards a carry, his leadership has been invaluable. He didn’t have a turnover in the win over A&M, and in the previous game against Howard, an overtime loss, he passed for a career-best 261 yards.

“I’m real happy for Monte for a lot of reasons,” Blount said. “He’s a local kid, and it’s tough to play in your own backyard and play consistently because he probably knows more people in this town than anybody on our team. Everywhere he goes, he’s the subject of criticism with somebody saying something negative.”

Purvis, a three-year starter, hasn’t backed down from any of this season’s challenges.

“His maturity, that’s been the biggest part,” Blount said. “To see him mature and grow into a leader and do the things I knew he was capable of doing all along is great to see. It’s his last season, and I think he’s having fun. I’ve seen him go from being a quiet guy to being the jokester in the locker room.”

The Rams have been learning a new offense under coordinator Nick Calcutta, and Purvis has picked it up.

“Hopefully, this break doesn’t slow us down (but) just enhanced us a little more,” Blount said. “It gave those guys a chance to rest and hopefully the guys … got that rest they needed.”

Blount said that part of the reason for the Rams’ resurgence in the past two games has been the play of the line.

“It’s been a matter of them continuing to learn this new system,” Blount said. “That system we ran last year and the year before is totally different than what we are doing this year.

“I think the great part of it is I have some real great football coaches on staff, and they have put in the time and energy to get this done and it’s taken the pressure off me.”