From Florida A&M Sports Information :
HONOLULU, Hawai’i | Kameron Reaves and Rod Melton, Jr. each recorded 11 points as the Florida A&M University men’s basketball team started slow, but finished strong in a 65-52 loss to Hawai’i to open play in the 55th Annual Outriggers Resorts Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center early Saturday morning.
Florida A&M (0-2) could not get much going offensively in the first half as Hawai’i took advantage and led 32-12 at the half. The Rattlers finished strong down the stretch and will look to carry that momentum into Sunday night’s contest against Pacific.
The Tigers began tournament play on Friday nightwith a 72-62 loss to South Dakota.
Reaves finished the night with 11 points, a team-high four assists, with three steals and two rebounds. Melton added 11 points, four boards, one assist and one steal. MJ Randolph and Evins Desir chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.
Samuta Avea paced three Rainbow Warrior players in double figures with a game-high 15 points, along with nine rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot. Bernardo Da Silva tallied 11 points, seven boards, three steals and two blocks, while Zigmars Raimo added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Turning Point
Florida A&M got out of the gate slow and made just five field goals in the opening half as Hawai’i raced out to a 32-12 lead.
The Rattlers not only did not shoot well from the field, but FAMU was 1-of-6 from the foul line and 1-of-6 from behind the 3-point line.
The Rainbow Warriors weren’t much better at 31.4 percent from the floor (11-of-35), but were 7-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Hawai’i held a slim, 5-4 lead as Evins Desir sank a jumper with 18:37 remaining in the first half. However, the Rainbow Warriors used a 17-0 run over the next nine minutes, capped by a layup buy Zigmars Ralmo, giving Hawai’i a 21-4 lead.
Buckets by Kamron Reaves, Desir and Bryce Moragne trimmed the deficit to 21-9 with 5:50remaining, but the Rainbow Warriors closed out the first half on a 11-3 run and took a 32-12 lead into the break.
Hawai’i stretched the lead to 43-17 after a free throw by Bernardo Da Silva with exactly 14 minutes remaining.
The Rattlers trailed 61-36 with 4:04 left and closed the game with a 16-4 run.
Inside the Numbers
> Florida A&M shot 27.9 percent (17-of-61) from the floor and 65.0 percent (13-of-20) from the charity stripe
> Hawaii was 22-of-61 (36.1 percent) from the field and 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the foul line
> FAMU registered 39 rebounds, including 25 on the defensive glass
> Hawaii pulled down 48 rebounds, with 33 coming on the defensive end
> The Rattlers finished with 16 points off 14 Rainbow Warrior turnovers, 15 second-chance points, 14 points in the paint, 13 bench points and four fastbreak points
> The Rainbow Warriors recorded 28 points in the paint, 20 bench points, 15 points off 16 Rattler turnovers, 12 fastbreak points and seven second-chance points
Up Next
Florida A&M continues play in the 55th Annual Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic on Sunday against South Dakota. Tip off against Pacific is set for 7:30 p.m. from the Stan Sheriff Center. The Tigers opened tournament play with a 72-62 loss to South Dakota.
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