It was a rough afternoon for the Lady Rattlers as they limped to a 65-50 loss to the Delaware State Hornets. The most glaring deficiencies came on the offensive end as they struggled for much of the night to execute around the basket.
The Lady Rattlers came into the game looking lethargic as they failed to get off more than 20 shots in the first half – none of which came from beyond the 3-point arch.
Freshman forward Denise Tate felt the shot selection was there, but the team just didn’t execute.
“In the first half we were getting good looks, we just were not converting,” Tate said.
Many of these good looks came under the basket, but the Lady Rattlers struggled to make lay-ups for much of the game.
Coach Debra Clark agreed saying, “We got the shots we wanted, but if you don’t make open shots, you’re just not going to win.”
In addition to poor shooting, careless turnovers also plagued the Lady Rattlers. The first half saw FAMU turn the basketball over 19 times. An array of errant post passes and sloppy ball-handling kept the offense stagnant.
“We needed to get control of our turnovers; I mean we were at home. We needed more intensity,” Tate said.
Freshman Guard Stephanie Foster said, “I knew coach wanted us to come out with a spark on offense in the second half. Unfortunately it came too late.”
The Lady Rattlers offense showed signs of life midway through the second half with a 14-3 run, which brought them within seven. But once again turnovers proved to be a thorn in the Lady Rattlers side.
After a bad passes from Evette Young and Ifeoma Onuaku on two consecutive possessions, the Lady Rattlers were never a threat.
“Well we were playing scared. We were timid. And when you play like that you are bound to turn the ball over,” Coach Clark said. “We just have to focus more that’s all. It’s a mental thing.”
Contact Akeem Anderson at thefamuansports@hotmail.com