Florida A&M’s late rally comes up short, falls 68-65 to South Florida

^{title image via FAMU Athletics}

Courtesy of Florida A&M Athletics

68

Winner USA

65

FAMU

The Florida A&M women’s basketball team pieced together a rally late in Friday’s game, outscoring South Alabama 16-7 in the final five minutes, but ultimately came up short, falling to the Jaguars 68-65.

The Rattlers (1-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Ahriahna Grizzle, who had 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Olivia Delancy tacked on 18 points off of the bench and Ivet Subirats added six points and two steals.

Florida A&M shared the ball well in Friday’s game, racking up 16 assists on 25 made field goals. Grizzle’s four assists led the Rattlers and Aina Subirats also helped out with three assists of her own.

The Florida A&M defense was a problem in Friday’s game, forcing 17 South Alabama turnovers while committing 14. Those takeaways turned into 17 points on the offensive end of the floor. Grizzle’s three steals led the way individually for the Rattlers.

How It Happened

After falling behind 16-12, Florida A&M went on a 5-0 run with 1:14 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Grizzle, to take a 17-16 lead, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. Florida A&M relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 17 points.

South Alabama rallied to take a 25-21 lead before Florida A&M went on a 5-0 run starting at the 5:03 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Sydney Hendrix, to take a 26-25 lead. The Rattlers kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 33-32 advantage heading into halftime. Florida A&M dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 16 points close to the basket.

Florida A&M then lost its advantage in the third quarter and trailed the Jaguars 52-46 entering the fourth. Florida A&M played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 13 points in the paint.

South Alabama kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 61-49 advantage before Florida A&M went on an 8-0 run to shrink the deficit to 61-57 with 2:21 to go in the contest. The Rattlers kept their comeback going, but South Alabama managed to hold on for the 68-65 win. Florida A&M fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 19 points.

Game Notes

» The Rattlers shot well from three point range, knocking down seven of 16 long range attempts.
» The Rattlers shared the ball well, recording an assist on 64 percent of made baskets.
» Ahriahna Grizzle, Olivia Delancy, and Nashani Gilbert combined to account for 80 percent of the Rattlers points.
» The Florida A&M bench came alive by scoring 25 points to its scoring output.
» The Florida A&M defense forced 17 turnovers.
» The Rattlers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
» Ahriahna Grizzle led the Rattlers with a game-high 26 points.
» Florida A&M got a team-high seven rebounds from Ahriahna Grizzle.