Gibson’s 17 Points Leads Rams Over Bahamas All-Stars 79-75
NASSAU, Bahamas – Diontae Gibson scored a team-high 17 points as he led five Rams in double-figures on Sunday evening as the Winston-Salem State University men’s basketball team came from behind to defeat the Cybots Bahamas All-Stars, 79-75, at Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in exhibition play from Nassau, Bahamas.
The Rams found themselves trailing early as the Cybots jumped out to an early 13-2 lead as WSSU committed five turnovers on its first six possessions.
Head coach Bobby Collins’ young Rams immediately responded with a run of their own as WSSU closed the remainder of the first 20 minutes of play on a 36-26 run as Winston-Salem State headed to the locker room at halftime holding the slimmest of leads at 39-38.
The contest, a tightly-contested affair for the entire final two quarters of play, would see the Rams edge the Cybots by one in the third period (19-18) and by two points (21-19) in the fourth, and final quarter of play.
The four-point margin of victory earned the Rams their first win on international soil and closed out WSSU’s Bahamas Tour 2008 with a 1-1 record.
Gibson led five Rams in double figures as his 17 points paced all scorers. Joining Gibson in double-figures were teammates Jamal Durham (16), Chris Smith (14), McIntoche Alcius (12), and Jemarcus McClinton (10).
For the second consecutive game the Rams would shoot 66 percent from the field as WSSU hit 33 of its 50 field goals attempted.
Three newcomers to the WSSU program would tally double-digit point totals as Chris Smith, Diontae Gibson and Jemarcus McClinton all posted impressive showings in only their second game in a WSSU uniform.
“Our young guys really stepped up today and this game only further solidifies the expectations that we have for our newcomers” WSSU head coach Bobby Collins commented postgame.
“We got production from our returning guys. Jamal and McIntoche played well for us today, but we expect that out of those guys. They know our system and that kind of production is expected. But our new guys we were especially pleased with as Chris and Jemarcus and Diontae stepped up big for us today. If this is any indication of how the regular season will go this year then I think we are going to do very well” Collins stated.
Leading the way for the Cybots was Jamal Rose who tallied 17 points in a losing effort. Rose led four Bahamas All-Stars in double-digits as Billy Sands tallied 15 points, Renaldo Forbes chipped in 14 points and Brian Bain recorded 13 points in the loss.
The Rams close out their Bahamas Tour 2008 with a 1-1 record and return stateside on Monday afternoon.
For additional information on WSSU men’s basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.
The original story was published here: http://wssurams.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/083108aaa.html
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