Men's Basketball 1/19/2020 8:00:00 PM

Claflin Travels to Winston-Salem State for Pivotal CIAA Southern Division Games

Winston-Salem, N.C. – The Claflin University men's and women's basketball teams will travel to Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) for a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division doubleheader, Monday (Jan. 20).

Action gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with the women's contest followed by the men's approximately 20 minutes after the completion of the first game. Both games will be played at the C.E. Gaines Center on the WSSU campus.

The men's contest will see Claflin try to end a two-game losing streak after winning five straight. The defeats, which total a six-point difference, evened the Panthers season record at 9-9 overall, 5-4 in the CIAA and 4-1 against division opponents.

The Rams spilt its last two games with Elizabeth City State University for a 7-8 overall record, 5-2 in the league and 1-1 in the division.

Claflin and WSSU will be meeting for the second time this season as the Panthers claimed a hard-fought 60-53 decision at home last month. Since the contest, the Panthers have played 11 games with a 7-4 record, averaging 72.4 point per game average during that span. WSSU is 3-5 after suffering the loss to Claflin with a 68.8-point average over the eight-game period.

The game will feature two high-scoring players in Claflin's Letrell West and Robert Colon of WSSU.
West leads the Panthers in scoring at 14.4 points with five games of 20 or more points that includes a career-best of 33 points against Kutztown University. He's hit double-figures in 13 of Claflin 18 games this season and leads the team in three-pointers with 45.

Colon has been the offensive threat for the Rams, averaging 16.3 points with 12 straight games in double-digits. Over the last five games, Colon has averaged 22.4 points per game with a season-high 23 points coming against Virginia State University.

Both West and Colon are surrounding by scoring buddies. West has Brandon Davis, whose averaging 11.3 points, and Donnell Frayer, Jr. at 8.1 points. Both have posted breakout games this season as Davis scored a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds against Shaw University, while Frayer, Jr had 26 points in the Saint Augustine's University game.

Colon sidekick is Jaylen Alston at 12.0 points a game.

In the women's contest, the Lady Panthers will be seeking to end a season long winless streak, which stands at 16. Claflin played WSSU tough the first time around, losing 66-59 at home.

The Lady Panthers are 0-9 in the CIAA and 0-5 against teams from the division, while WSSU has posted an 8-9 record in 17 games. The Rams are 3-4 in CIAA competition that includes a 2-0 divisional mark.
Dionna Long leads three Claflin players who are averaging double-figures at 12.4 points followed by Shakarri Mack and Dashia Jackson with 10.3 and 10.6 points, respectively.

Jackson has recorded a team-high 30 three-pointers with a season-high of five on three different occasions. Mack and Long has both has season highs of 20 points.

The top offensive weapon for WSSU is Brandi Segars at 12.6 points followed by Melody Prichard at 10.6 points.

After the doubleheader at WSSU, both Claflin teams will visit Columbia to take on Benedict College of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) on Thursday (Jan. 23).

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Players Mentioned

#24 Brandon Davis: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#0 Dashia Jackson: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#11 Dionna Long: G; 5' 4"; Freshman

#20 Shakarri Mack: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#11 Letrell West: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#12 Donnell Frayer, Jr.: G; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#24 Brandon Davis
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#0 Dashia Jackson
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#11 Dionna Long
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: G

#20 Shakarri Mack
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#11 Letrell West
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#12 Donnell Frayer, Jr.
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G