ORANGEBURG, SC—The South Carolina State rallied back from nine points down early in the second-half to pull away with an, 57-54, victory over visiting Florida A&M Monday (Feb.18th) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
Senior point guard Janai Raynor-Powell led the way with a game-high 16 points, while junior forward Damani Applewhite finished with 13 in the win.
"It was a great team win against a very good and well coach Florida A&M team tonight," said head coach Murray Garvin. "After the tough loss to Bethune-Cookman Saturday we came together as a team and met for two and half hours to clear the air and move forward from that game. I couldn't be more proud of the way these guys battled back and played hard together as a team down the stretch"
"We will enjoy this win for a little while like we always do and get ready for this weekend when we take on a tough N.C. A&T and NC Central team on the road," said Garvin.
FAMU led 33-24 during intermission.
South Carolina State led in several categories including points off turnovers (33-19), 2nd chance points (14-4), bench points (17-13) and rebounding 30-22.
The Rattlers led 34-42 midway through the second-half with 13:11 left. A layup by junior Ozante Fields gave the Bulldogs the lead 51-49 with 3:24 left in regulation. FAMU took the lead off a dunk by Isaiah Martin 51-54 with 2:23 left.
A jumper by Raynor-Powell followed by a pair of free-throws by junior forward Ian Kinard with 0:13 seconds remaining sealed the victory for the Bulldogs. FAMU was led by Justin Ravenel and Isaiah with 14 points each in the loss.
Next up South Carolina State heads to the tobacco state to take on North Carolina A&T in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader in Greensboro, NC. Tipoff for the women is 2 pm, followed by the men in a 4 pm start.
For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.
