FAMU women still seeking first MEAC win

FAMU's Dy’Manee Royal goes up for the shot during Saturday’s game against UMES. 
Sydne Vigille | The Famuan

The Florida A&M women’s basketball team fell short yet again on Saturday, suffering a 68-36 loss to No. 3 ranked University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The Hawks improved to 8-10 while FAMU is 2-14 overall and last in the MEAC (0-4) with an eight-game losing streak.

The Rattlers  have struggled to find their rhythm so far this season.  Between missed layups, turnovers and poor ball movement, the Rattlers dug themselves an early hole only scoring 13 points at the half. It was the second lowest scoring half they have had this season. On the other side of the ball, it wasn’t any better.  The Rattlers once trailed by 45 points, and never led in the game.

“We are just going to go back to the drawing board, and figure out what we are doing wrong as a coaching staff because we have to get them going,” head coach LeDawn Gibson said.

Even though the Rattlers were down the entire game, the momentum seemed to shift in the last two minutes of the game as the Rattlers seemed to get something going. But it was just too late.

“I was excited that they played hard and I think they did some good things. Hopefully we can carry that energy over into the next game,” senior point guard Candice Williams said.

With only about 200 people in attendance at Saturday’s game, the lack of support for the Rattlers also raised concern for students and alumni.

“It’s sad to see how empty their games are because I am pretty sure they want our support but I think the women’s games are so empty because they are not as entertaining as male games,” FAMU alum Joshua Proctor said.

“In the end, I hope that they can turn their season around and pack out AL Lawson,” Proctor added.

With eight freshmen on the roster for the FAMU, it is obvious that they have struggled to mesh well together on the court this season.

“There are some challenges because they are being forced to grow up really quickly while also having to learn and adjust to the speed of the game at the same time. We are learning each day trust each other,” Williams said.

Some of the players believe the season is not lost.

“We have everything we need to be successful, its just a matter of getting the gears to turn all together at the same time,” sophomore guard Morgan Mitchell said.

FAMU will seeks its first MEAC win at 6 p.m. Monday when it plays host to Delaware State in the first game of a doubleheader.