It was not to be on Monday evening at the Coliseum Annex as WSSU fought for 40 minutes against one of the MEAC’s best teams in a bid to even their record at .500, ultimately falling in defeat to the Delaware State Hornets 66-59.

The game’s first 20 minutes of play saw the lead change hands eight times and found the teams deadlocked in a tie on four occasions as the two teams proved to be evenly matched, despite the relative youth of the WSSU roster.

Neither team would lead by more than six points during the first period as both squads shot better than 46 percent from the field in front of a boisterous Rams’ crowd.

A late-half push would give the Hornets their largest lead of the game with a six point advantage, 36-30.

Senior forward Darrell Wonge would again turn in a stellar single-half performance as he led all WSSU scorers with 10 points. However, Delaware State’s Roy Bright would eclipse all scorers with 17 points in the first 20 minutes on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, a performance that included three three-pointers.

Despite Bright’s first-half heroics, the Rams would again prove that they are a force to be reckoned with in the thick of the MEAC race as WSSU retook the lead only minutes into the second half.

A Jamal Durham dunk on a feed from Roy Peake enabled the Rams to retake the lead with 15:19 remaining in the contest as WSSU needed less than five minutes to battle back and erase the DSU lead.

The Hornets, a veteran-laden team would prove to be unfazed by the Rams’ fortitude as back-to-back-to-back three-point field goals would immediately give DSU back the lead, this time for good.

Delaware State would increase their lead to as many as 10 points over the final seven minutes of play en route to the 66-59 victory.

Leading the way for the Rams was Darrell Wonge who finished with a team-high 18 points as he led three WSSU players into double figures. Joining Wonge in double-figures was Jamal Durham and Brian Fisher with 14 points and 10 points respectively.

Delaware State’s Bright led all scorers with 24 points in the contest.

With the loss the Rams fall to 6-8 on the season while the Hornets improve to 4-9 overall with the win.