Courtesy of FAMU Sports Info
An aggressive pace helped the Florida A&M University Lady Rattlers rebound from a six-game losing streak as they defeated Howard University 65-51 Saturday.
Howard (2-16, 2-3) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first two minutes, but The Lady Rattlers (5-13, 2-4) quickly took control and never lost the lead.
The energy the Lady Rattlers played with propelled them to a 22-point lead at one point, and they carried that momentum into the second half despite a few hick-ups.
The Lady Bison opened up the second half on a 6-0 run. But just as they did the first half, the Lady Rattlers regained control and never took their foot of the pedal.
Head coach LeDawn Gibson was very proud of the team’s performance, and of course, the final outcome.
“We came out the first half ready to play and they had determination,” Gibson said. “We practiced very good this week, so I’m glad it carried over into tonight’s game.”
Gibson said that she is proud of the effort that was continuously given throughout the game.
The Lady Rattlers out-rebounded the Lady Bison 34 to 43, largely due to the team’s size down low – Shalunda Burney-Robinson in particular.
The 6-foot-4-inch freshman center said she made it her job to work hard in the paint while still communicating with her teammates. Burney-Robinson finished with a game-high eight rebounds.
Junior forward Olivia Antilla scored a game-high 19 points, shooting 8-10 from the field and 2-3 from deep.
“I try to stay aggressive all the time,” Antilla said. “My first couple of shots came from the inside, when that happens for me then the whole floor pretty much opens up.”
The players seemed aggressive and determined to snap their losing streak, and they did just that.
The Lady Rattlers will begin preparing for the next home game on Monday, January 26th against Maryland-Eastern Shore.