TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FAMU Athletics) — Florida A&M (3-8, 2-2 MEAC) got back on the winning track on Monday evening, defeating North Carolina Central (4-4, 2-1 MEAC) 59-50 inside the Al Lawson Center. The victory marked the Rattlers' tenth consecutive home victory.
The Rattlers used stifling defense and timely shooting to keep the Eagles off balance and well off of their average pace of 77.0 points per contest. FAMU held NCCU to just 37 percent shooting on 24-of-54 shots, including a paltry 11.8 percent (2-of-17) from three-point range.
The Rattlers never trailed in the contest
Junior guard Jai Clark led the Rattler scoring charge, tossing in 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Clark did most of his damage from behind the arc, however, draining 4-of-8 from long range.
DJ Jones continued to show his ability to put the ball in the bucket, scoring 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in the winning effort.
For the contest, Florida A&M shot 43.6 percent from the field (24-of-55) and 42.6 percent from long distance (6-of-14).
The Rattlers began to assert their will on NCCU going on a 15-2, highlighted by two Jai Clark three-pointers, that gave Florida A&M a 45-25 lead with 11:39 left to play.
The Eagles clawed their way back into the contest, cutting the Florida A&M advantage to 53-45 with 1:44 left the second period, but that was as close as Central would get.
Up Next
Florida A&M and North Carolina Central square off for round two tomorrow at the Al Lawson Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
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