Midway through its maiden voyage in SWAC basketball, Florida A&M is looking pretty darn good.
FAMU held off Alabama State 66-65 to win its seventh consecutive game. That’s the longest streak for FAMU basketball since the 1988-89 season, and it puts it at 7-2 in conference play – tied for first with Southern University and Grambling State.
The Rattlers opened the game on a 17-4 run to take a 13-point lead, then the Hornets went on a 7-2 run to make it an eight-point game. The Rattlers then went on a 15-9 run to give themselves a 34-20 lead, the Rattlers’ largest lead of the game. The Rattlers went into the half with a 39-27 lead. The Rattlers had a 42-31 lead with 17:22 remaining before the Hornets went on a 36-22 run to take their first lead of the game 65-64 with 2:31 remaining. Bryce Moragne made two free throws with 21 seconds left to take a 66-65 lead and grabbed the game’s final rebound after the Hornets missed the potential game-winning shot.
MJ Randolph led the way for FAMU with 17 points. Morgane added 10 rebounds.
Trace Young scored a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds for Alabama State, which fell to 4-5 in SWAC play with the loss. No other ASU player scored in double-figures on the night.
Florida A&M returns to the court on Texas Southern on Saturday. The game will be televised on NBA TV.