Florida A&M Prevails in Poor Shooting Affair
Tallahassee, FL—January 22—Avery Moore scored nine of his 11 points in the second half and Amin Stevens tallied seven of his 13 after intermission to help Florida A&M University outlast Howard University 45-38 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at the Lawson Center.
The game featured poor shooting from the field and the free throw line. Both teams were looking for their first conference win of the season and the nervousness showed. The Rattlers (3-15 overall, 1-5 in the MEAC) were able to get a slight 19-14 advantage in the first 20 minutes that seemed to be larger in a game where close range shots and layups were not a gimme.
The difference was at the free throw line where Florida A&M was able to get six of its points on a poor six of 14 from the charity stripe while the Bison converted on only two of seven.
Stevens was able to help his team get some breathing room midway through the second half as he scored six points during an eight-minute stretch that saw FAMU open an 11-point lead.
Howard (2-16 overall, 0-6 in the MEAC) was able to stay within striking distance on the scoring Mike Phillips, who scored seven of his team-high 10 points in the second half and Kyle Riley, who added six of his eight points in the final 20 minutes.
But Larry Jackson knocked down some key free throws and Moore hit a back-breaking three pointer to stave off the rally and give the Rattlers their first conference win of the season.
For the game, Howard shot a season low 21 percent, missing 44 of its shots from the field while the Rattlers misfired on 44 shots takes, making only 13 for 29 percent. The free throw shooting was equally bad as both teams shot just under 50 percent.
Phillips recorded his 4th double double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds while freshman center Alphonso Leary contributed 6 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
FAMU was led by by Stevens with 11 points and 13 rebounds, Larry Jackson with 8 [points anda team-high 14 rebounds and Moore with 11.
NEXT UP: Howard will try to stop its losing skid when it takes on Bethune-Cookman on Monday at 7:30 pm at the Ocean Center while the Rattlers host Hampton University at the Lawson Center at 7:30 pm
