The Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the Albany State Rams 86-63 November 1, 2012 at The Al Lawson Center in an exhibition game that served as revenge for the Rattlers as they lost to the Rams last year.
The Rattlers had a slow start in the first half but picked up their intensity and pace in the second half as they went on a 13-5 run midway through the second half to separate themselves from the Rams. The Rattlers led 40-36 at halftime despite having 14 turnovers. The Rattlers did not take advantage of their opportunities in the first half as they were two for eight in the first half from beyond the arc and shot only 58 percent from the free throw line.
Jamie Adams, a third year agribusiness transfer student from Chicago was pleased with the way the team played.
“Despite the win we still know we have a lot of work to do,” Adams said. Adams finished with 15 points and 2 steals.
“We knew Albany State was coming to play us tough; they beat us last year and they probably thought they were going to beat us again,” Adams said. “They played a really good first half and we played a really bad first half. We were more consistent in the second half and we took care of the ball for the most part.”
Transfer Guard Muhammad Abdul- Aleem provided a spark off the bench, for the team with 10 points and 3 rebounds. Abdul- Aleem, a third year English education from Atlanta, feels chemistry is most important.
“The team chemistry is very high and we were ready for this game,” Abdul-Aleem said. “Our chemistry started to pick up in the second half because we were getting used to the plays and used to their sets so we were able to hold them defensively and we were talking more.
The Rattlers held the Rams to 36 percent shooting for the game. The Rattlers went to the free throw line early and often and ended up shooting 62 percent, compared to 47 percent from the field. They out rebounded the Rams 50-31 with 22 offensive rebounds. This was a good start for Coach Clemon Johnson who has a brand new team with only three players returning from last year.
“This win felt great because they beat us last year,” Johnson said. “We did a great job outrebounding in and this is just a start but we have to get better. We have a collection of individuals and the new players we brought in to run this style I wanted to run.”
The Rattlers start the season on the road Nov. 9, 2012 as they go to Houston, Texas to take on the Houston Cougars.