Photo Courtesy: FAMU Athletics
FAMU’s effort wasn’t enough, as they fell to the Jackson State Tigers 79-60.
Coming into this game, the Tigers were 6-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play and 11-6 overall, making them the best team in the SWAC!
Opening out the first quarter, it was a back-and-forth game. Both sides were getting to their spots and scoring early and quickly. Midway into the first, the tempo of the game slowed down. The Tigers started feeding their center, Angel Jackson. Jackson was making her presence felt in the paint on the offensive end by getting easy duck-ins and getting to the free-throw line. Winding down to the end of the first, Jackson State amped up their defensive efforts by forcing the Rattlers to make careless turnovers and get easy points on the other end. The Tigers ended the quarter leading 22-17.
FAMU came out hot to start the second quarter with a strong ten-to-two run. While being on that run, the Rattlers made Jackson State’s offense extend their catches and make them turn the ball over! Both guards, Ahriahna Grizzle and Olivia Delancy, were getting whatever they wanted offensively to take the lead, leading 27-23! FAMU was able to keep the lead entering halftime up, 34-33!
Coach Gordon talked about their first-half performance.
“They believe they can play with anybody. They trusted me to put them in the best position in order for them to be successful,” coach Gordon said.
It was all Jackson State starting the third quarter. They felt the pressure as they were on the verge of being upset. JSU went on a robust six-to-zero run to regain the lead early in the third, leading 39-33. It was raining threes midway through the third quarter by both teams. Rattler guard Ivet Subirates caught fire from behind the three, knocking down back-to-back threes to pull the game closer. Despite FAMU’s late push in the third, JSU entered the fourth leading, 56-50.
Grizzle talked about what the team was missing coming out of the half.
“We were missing that spark we came out with in the first quarter. It just wasn’t there, and momentum sways, and we weren’t able to make another punch after they punched,” Grizzle said.
Once again, Jackson State came out swinging early in the fourth. The Tigers went on a four-to-zero run to extend their lead to ten and forced the Rattlers to call a timeout! The run extended even more after the timeout from a four-to-zero run to a ten-to-zero run abruptly. That immaculate run helped the JSU cruise to victory, making them 7-0 in the SWAC!
FAMU guard Nya Bostic touched on what the team was missing in the fourth.
“We were missing the strong defense we had in the first quarter. Once they got on a scoring run, they kept going. We have to find ways to stop that run and motivate everyone to play their part and defend the goal,” Bostic said.
Despite the 29-point effort from the HBCU National Player of The Week, Grizzle, it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding.
The Florida A&M women’s basketball team will start their road trip in Huntsville, AL, to take on Alabama A&M University on Saturday, February 3rd.