Scoring came easy for the Lady Rattlers as they pounded the visiting Hornets of Delaware State University,95-79, Monday in the Al Lawson Center.
Florida A&M head coach LeDawn Gibson was proud of the team performance but felt the Lady Rattlers (14-12, 8-5 MEAC) could have played better on defense.
“It feels great to get the win,” Gibson said. “The girls have been working hard, and to go out there and just have fun, I thought was great.
“But I don’t think we played FAMU defense tonight. To give up 79 points is not to my liking, so we will have to go back to the drawing board for that.”
The Lady Rattlers got off to a strong start, going into halftime up by 14 points.
The Lady Hornets (6-18, 1-11 MEAC) attempted to make several runs in the second half, cutting the deficit to 10 at one point. But the Lady Rattlers answered each run, keeping a double-digit lead.
Graduate guard Jasmine Grice led the Lady Rattlers with 26 points despite struggling with her shot.
“My shots weren’t falling tonight, but other players were able to step up,” Grice said. “I think it’s important when starters aren’t putting up their normal numbers for players to come off the bench and have big games.”
Grice added to her NCAA Division I-leading steals total, picking up five for the game.
Freshman guard Kenya Dixon showed her shooting touch, scoring 16 points behind two crucial 3-pointers to help clinch the win.
Senior guard Tierra Prothro scored in double figures, adding 13 points. Senior forward Patrice Collie and Prothro both finished with 10 rebounds.
For the Lady Hornets, freshman guard Raven Bankston had a game-high 33 points.
The Lady Rattlers stretched the lead out to as many as 21 points and were able to capitalize on second chance baskets by a 20-6 margin.
With Dixon leading the way, the bench outscored the Lady Hornets’ reserves by 24 points.
“It felt natural, because even though I’m not a starter, we are all starters on our team,” Dixon said. “Anyone can step up at any moment and come up big for us.”
The Lady Rattlers will travel to Daytona Beach to take on rival Bethune-Cookman.