The Florida A&M men’s basketball team (3-6, 1-0 MEAC) tamed the Edward Waters College Tigers (1-5) on Tuesday night 87-69.
Junior point guard Jamie Adams, a third-year agribusiness student, had his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 assists. Before the game, Adams expressed how he wanted to work on getting the team involved more.
“I want everybody having fun and everybody scoring,” Adams said.
Five players scored in double digits, and the team shot 52 percent from the field. Guard Muhammad Abdul-Aleem accounted for 14 of the 23 bench points on 4-of-7 shooting. Freshmen Jakari Bush and Trey Kellum both provided a late surge in the first half to push the lead to double digits. Kellum said the team was more patient on offense, resulting in more open shots.
The offense has been more efficient in the last two games. The team is shooting 50 percent from the field at home this season. Head coach Clemon Johnson hopes that the shooting can continue Saturday against the Allen University Yellow Jackets.
The Rattlers began the second half with a 19-4 run, extending the lead to 24. Once they got the big lead, the team began to relax, allowing the Tigers back in the game.
“The team got comfortable and Jamie (Adams) put on his Harlem Globetrotter act,” Johnson said.
Adams began dribbling through his legs and emulating “And1 Mixtape” moves. The crowd got excited, but the play resulted in a turnover and a fast break 3-pointer for EWC.
With 13 minutes left in the game, the Rattlers began to take ill-advised shots and committed several careless turnovers. The Tigers took advantage and went on a 22-8 run, cutting the deficit to 10.
Adams said he needed to focus on making smarter plays and less on making big plays.
Once the Rattlers’ lead was cut to 10, Adams stepped up and dished out three straight assists, pushing the Rattlers’ lead to 18.
Going into the next game, Johnson said the team will have to work on rebounding. FAMU was outrebounded Saturday against B-CU.
The Rattlers plays Allen University on Saturday at 4 p.m.