Dawn King at the line – FAMU Sports Info.
The Florida A&M University Lady Rattlers failed to turn around their losing streak after Saturday’s loss to North Carolina A&T 67-46.
Even though the Lady Aggies (14-10, 7-4 MEAC) lead most of the game, the Lady Rattlers (7-16, 4-7 MEAC) manage to keep the game close while taking the lead twice in the first half.
The lady Rattlers struggled to produce scoring and defensive rebounding. North Carolina A&T had 22 points in the paint to Florida A&M’s 14 points and almost twice as many second chance points.
The second half was worse for the Lady Rattlers as the Aggie’s lead began to increase. The second half shooting percentage for Florida A&M was a mere 33 percent, finishing the game with only a 39 percent shooting percentage.
The Rattlers’ defense switched to a full-court press in the second half. This tactic proved successful because the Rattlers did a better job closing out on shooters decreasing A & T’s first half shooting percentage from 62 to 44; however, turnovers by the Rattlers eradicated their chances of making a comeback.
Coach LeDawn Gibson talked about how hard her team fought and that their need to focus ahead for Monday.
“I thought we fought hard, we just couldn’t score tonight, which was our Achilles’ heel” Gibson said. “I told them to focus on Monday night; this game is over and let’s move forward.”
Coach Gibson added that a short bench also hurt them. Multiple injuries to a team requires role players to step up and make plays, and that is what Junior guard Khadejra Young and Sophomore guard Alicia Jones have done this year.
Even though the team was not scoring efficiently, Jones was on fire knocking down three big time three-pointers to keep the game close. Young also pitched in with a solid 14 points to keep the game interesting.
Young, expressed how the rest of the team stays motivated with the change of lineup every game and the absence of teammates due to injury.
“We believe that we can do it, because at the end of the day we are still a team,” Young said. “We [are] there for each other and continue to fight hard.”
The next home game will be Monday Feb. 16 at the Al Lawson Center the Lady Rattlers will be hosting the North Carolina Central University Eagles in their pursuit of another victory.