FAMU basketball splits SWAC doubleheader at Alabama State | Recap

MONTGOMERY, AL ― Ahriahna Grizzle and Olivia Delancy combined to score 42 total points ― 85.7 percent of Florida A&M's points ― in the Rattlers 49-40 victory against the Alabama State Hornets on the road Monday.

The Rattlers (5-15, 4-5) had two players score in double figures, led by Grizzle, who had 26 points, six rebounds and three steals. Delancy tacked on 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals and Anabel Latorre added two points, 11 rebounds and four steals.

Led by Delancy's two offensive rebounds, FAMU did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that resulted in three second chance points.

The FAMU defense caused its share of mistakes in Monday's game, forcing 21 Alabama State turnovers while committing 20. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Latorre's four steals led the way individually for the Rattlers.

How It Happened

FAMU started out the scoring by going on a 5-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Delancy, to take an early lead with 7:19 left in the first quarter. The Rattlers then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 14-8 advantage. FAMU relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 14 points.

FAMU kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 8:32 mark in the second period to increase its lead to 19-11. The Hornets cut into that lead, but the Rattlers still enjoyed a 25-20 advantage heading into halftime. FAMU forced four Alabama State turnovers in the period and turned them into five points.

FAMU continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Grizzle, to expand its lead further to 32-23 with 6:44 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Rattlers added one point to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 39-29 edge. FAMU knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 14 total points.

The Rattlers then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. FAMU got up and down the court quickly in the quarter, scoring two fast break points.

Defensive effort not enough as FAMU men's basketball falls to Alabama State

The FAMU men's basketball team kept Alabama State to just 20 percent from beyond the arc in a 4-for-20 shooting performance, but fell 62-53 to the Hornets on the road Monday.

The Rattlers (4-16, 2-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Jalen Speer, who had 17 points. Shannon Grant added 10 points and seven rebounds and Jordan Chatman added two points and 10 rebounds.

FAMU's defense held Alabama State to only 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 31.4 percent from the field.

How It Happened

After falling behind 16-12, FAMU went on a 6-0 run with 4:24 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Morrell Schramm, to take an 18-16 lead. The Rattlers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 22-18 advantage. FAMU did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 14 of its 22 points close to the basket.

Alabama State proceeded to take a 36-32 lead before FAMU went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Schramm's layup, to seize a 39-36 lead with 10:42 to go in the contest. Alabama State re-asserted control, outscoring the Rattlers 26-14 the rest of the way to hand FAMU the 62-53 loss.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Basketball: Rattlers split at Alabama State SWAC doubleheader