Bernard Dominates to defeat Night Hawks

Courtesy of Vaughn Wilson/FAMU Athletics

The Rattlers won their second straight home game Wednesday evening against the Thomas University Night Hawks.

The Rattlers (2-1) defeated the Night Hawks (3-2) 70-68, in front of 1,071 of cheering fans.

Coming off a 30-point loss against the Southern Illinois Saluki's on Sunday, the Rattlers showed up with a sense of urgency and played good overall team basketball.

Junior guard Malcolm Bernard led the team with 29 points.

Bernard shot 9-of-15 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Guard Craig Bowman, scored 13 points and Francois Lewis added 12. 

Bernard felt that the team played a strong 40 minutes of basketball and through hard work, the team pulled off a tough win.

“They came ready to play, they were fiery, they were up in us and they came prepared, we as a team had to stick together and play hard and get the win,” Bernard said. “I felt like I did my job. The team and I we had a collective effort to get everything done.”

Forward, Jordan Jackson attacked the boards with 10 rebounds, Lewis grabbed eight and Bernard grabbed seven.

Adonai Rogers had 18 points with eight rebounds to lead the Night Hawks, and Javoris Cooks, added 13 points. 

Night Hawk head coach Brent Crews knew coming into this game it was going to be challenge for his team.

“Coming into this game we knew that it was going to be a war. We played hard we played together, but we have to play smarter,” Crews said.

Crews complimented the play of Bernard and his dominant performance.

“Malcolm Bernard is a really good player, 29 points, he was hard to stop,” Crews expressed. “I definitely give all the respect, he’s a great player.”

The Rattlers shot 35.7 percent from the field in the first half and 43.5 percent in the second half, but missed free throws allowed the Night Hawks to stay in the game. The Rattlers shot 15-of-19 from the line in the first half, but only made 10-of-18 in the second half.

FAMU head coach Byron Samuels was elated for the win and said that this win shows the difference between last year’s team.

 “I would much rather have a two-point win that a one-point loss. Last year, I’m not sure our team would have found a way to win this game,” Samuels said.

The Rattlers will head to Houston, Texas to play the Houston Cougars on Saturday and the University of Texas El Paso on Tuesday.

For more information visit The Famu Athletics website.