From Florida A&M Sports Information:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | Jasmine Ballew poured in a game-high 17 points, while Shalaunda Burney-Robinson grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Florida A&M University women’s basketball dropped a home tilt to Howard, 82-56, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday afternoonat the Al Lawson Center.
Florida A&M (4-17 overall, 2-8 MEAC) trailed, 10-8, after the first period and were outscored, 21-11 in the second quarter as Howard took a 31-19 advantage into the break. The Bison (14-9, 6-4) pushed the advantage to as many as 24 in the third period and took a 54-38 lead into the final quarter.
Ballew came off the bench to provide 17 points, including 6-of-9 from the foul line, with two rebounds and one assist. Burney-Robinson registered 11 points, grabbed 10 of her game-high 15 boards on the defensive end, and added one assist. Alaina Rice chipped in nine points, four boards, two steals and two assists.
Gia Thorpe paced Howard with 20 points, on 6-of-12 shooting, with two boards and one steal. Iyanna Warren recorded 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal, while Krislyn Marsh added 15 points, three boards, one block and one steal. Ayonna Williams tallied 12 points, five boards, three steals and one assist.
How It Happened
After a slow start in the first period for both teams, Howard led 14-10 after a pair of free throws by Kristlyn Marsh with 7:26 left in the first half, but a Corey Staples bucket closed the gap to 14-12 with 7:16 remaining.
The Bison used a small 7-1 run to grab a 21-13 advantage after a free throw by Iyanna Warren with 5:31 remaining and Howard extend the lead to 26-15 as Gia Thorpe sank a 3-pointer with just over four minutes left in the half.
The Lady Rattlers cut the deficit to 26-19 after a jumper by Jasmine Ballew with 2:36 remaining, but Howard scored the final five points of the period and took a 31-19 lead into the half.
The Bison stretched the lead to 39-24 after two free throws by Warren with just under five minutes to play in the third period.
Howard extended the advantage to 54-30 after an Ayonna Williams jumper with 1:42 remaining, but Florida A&M closed the gap to 54-38 as Morgan Mitchell scored on a layup to end the third period.
The Lady Rattlers tried to mount a comeback in the final period, but never got any closer than 16 points.
Inside the Numbers
> Florida A&M shot 28.6 percent (20-of-70) from the floor and 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the charity stripe
> Howard was 23-of-54 (42.6 percent) from the field and 34-of-42 (81.0 percent) from the foul line
> FAMU registered 49 rebounds, with 24 coming on the offensive end
> HU pulled down 44 rebounds, including 33 on the defensive glass
> The Lady Rattlers recorded 26 bench points, 22 points in the paint, 15 second-chance points and 10 points off 16 HU turnovers
> The Bison finished with 35 bench points, 26 points in the paint, 21 points off 21 FAMU turnovers and 11 second-chance points
Up Next
Florida A&M concludes its three-game homestand on Monday evening against North Carolina A&T State. Tip-off against the Aggies is set for 6 p.m.from the Al Lawson Center
