In Thursday night’s face-off, the Southern Jaguars’ women’s basketball team upsetted the Florida A&M Rattlers 65-63.
The Rattlers maintained the lead until the last two minutes when the Jaguars took the lead.
The Rattlers had their Louisiana opponents on lockdown in the first half; enabling them to run up the scoreboard with an 11-point lead. FAMU averaged a field goal percentage of 54.5 percent. On the other hand, Southern shot 28.6 percent.
Nevertheless, the Jags fired back at the three; showing off their season-leading, three-point average and shooting 62.5 percent while FAMU shot 60 percent in the first half.
The Jaguars’ starting five all made three pointers each, shooting five for seven in the first two quarters.
The Rattlers also excelled in rebounding in the first half, securing twice as many offensive rebounds as Southern along with 14 more defensive rebounds.
Once the team stabilized the pace of the game and started to properly space the floor, FAMU began to really showcase their creative playmaking in moments.
Cheyenne McEvans was trapped in the paint by Southern’s defense and snuck a deep pass to D’Mya Griffin for her to knock down a three pointer. A double-block from Sabou Gueye and Jaliya Sharp during a Jaguar drive amplified the Rattlers, causing an uproar in the gymnasium.
The second half, however, was a different story. The last two quarters were the battle of the free throw as the teams alternated at the line.
The momentum unfolded quickly in the third quarter. Southern came into the third with one of the things they’re known for: physicality. FAMU struggled to adjust to the pace and slow down the momentum that fueled the Jaguars.
The Rattlers struggled with shifting the defense as the Jags were immovable in the fourth. The Jaguars’ man-to-man defense wasn’t budging and FAMU had the most turnovers they’ve had all game. Southern scored 26 points just off of Rattler turnovers.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Jaguars shrunk the 10-point deficit to two points. The intensity was at an all-time high. A foul even resulted in Southern’s Tionna Lidge suffering a painful blow to her right eye, resulting with blood gushing down her face.
In the last two minutes, the Baton Rouge team crept back in with swift drives to the hole. However, free throws are what kept the Rattlers in the lead.
Southern froze the game with a game-changing block by Aleighyah Fontenot. Soon after, Gueye electrified the gymnasium with a strategic “and-1”, getting everyone out of their seats.
Southern’s Taniya Lawson tied the game at the free throw line within the last three seconds of the game, leaving the crowd paralyzed.
Then, Griffin fouled Southern’s Jocelyn Tate soon after with only 1.5 seconds left in the game. Tate secured the two free throw points; scraping the lead to 65-63. The devastating loss left an unsettling disappointment in the Al Lawson center that night.
FAMU’s head coach Bridgette Gordon, was visibly frustrated, shaking her head as she addressed her team.
“I’m so ticked off,” Gordon said. “I mean you got a fifth-year person, a vet, and she knows better than to foul and I said that in the huddle too. The only way they’d win is a three. All we gotta do is get one stop and we win the game. We’re going to beat the number one team in the conference and we’re going into the SWAC to send a message. The message is sent that we don’t know how to close games.”
Coach Gordon explained that their coaching staff puts the team in position to win games, but ultimately, it’s up to the players to listen.
“I can take them to the well, but I can’t make them drink the water,” Gordon said. “And the water is to finish the fourth quarter and come out with a win. This one really, really hurt. I’d rather get blown out than to lose this way.”
The Rattlers’ record is now 6-10 and they’re ranked seventh in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They have two more games left before the SWAC tournament against Grambling at home on Saturday and rival Bethune-Cookman in Dayton Beach next Saturday.
This weekend’s matchup against the Tigers will begins at 4 PM in Al Lawson.