ORANGEBURG, SC ? The Winston-Salem State Rams (1-6) picked up their first win of the season, defeating the South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-3) in 68-65 road thriller Saturday evening. Despite trailing all game long, the Rams battled back to claim their first lead of the game with 00:17 on the clock as freshman guard Diontae Gibson hit a clutch three-pointer that sealed the win for the Rams.
 
The Rams exorcised a number of demons in the loss as the team snapped an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season and recorded their first road win since defeating Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach last season.

After opening the 2008-09 season with a 33.1% field goal percentage in their first six games, the Rams shot a scorching 47.5% from the field and scored a team season-high 68 points to pull out the victory.
 
Even more impressive for the Rams was the fact that the team pulled out the victory despite missing leading scorer Jamal Durham who missed his first game in 97 outings. The senior forward suffered a shoulder injury in Friday’s practice session and was unable to suit up for the Rams.
 
The WSSU tandem of junior guard Brian Fisher and freshman guard Diontae Gibson led the way for the Rams, combining for 45 of the team’s 68 points in the contest. Fisher led the WSSU attack with a team-high 22 points in the game while Gibson added 13 points, including going 2-for-2 from the three-point line, including the game winner. WSSU sophomore center Paul Davis also had a breakout game with 10 points and seven rebounds in the game.
 
The Rams had a slow start out of the gate as the team fell into an early 17-4 hole to open the game. A pair of jumpers by Gibson and Fisher turned out to be the only field goals that the Rams could manage in the first nine minutes of the game and left the Rams trailing early in the first half.

Though the team was down early, the Rams continued to battle down the stretch in the first half. A Fisher jumper with 5:59 left would cap a WSSU run and pulled the Rams to within seven points, 21-28. The two teams would continue to battle down the stretch as Gibson’s first three-pointer of the game pulled the Rams to within five points, 26-31 at the 3:14 mark. The Rams continued to battle and kept the game in reach as the team took a 26-35 score into the half.
 
The second half began much like the first as South Carolina State outscored the Rams 8-4 and took the 43-30 lead with 16:24 remaining. Backed into a corner, the Rams came out swinging as a jumper from Fisher cut the Rams’ deficit down to six points, 45-51.

The Rams outscored the Bulldogs, 15-4 in the final five minutes to take over the game. At the 1:01 mark Brandon Hobbs, who was subbing at the line for an injured Isaiah Tucker, knocked down one of two from the charity stripe to help the Rams pull to within two, 65-63. 

WSSU sophomore forward McIntoche Alcius snagged a steal on the ensuring Bulldogs inbounds that led to a game-winning shot by a wide-open Gibson on the baseline with 17 seconds remaining to seal the 68-63 victory. 

With the win, the Rams improve to 1-6 on the season.  They will head to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack on December 13.