Florida A&M University’s men’s basketball team defeated Grambling State 66-59 in an away game on Saturday. The Rattlers improved their record to 13-15 overall and 10-7 in conference play with the win.
Jaquan Sanders led Florida A&M with 16 points and two steals. Miles Ndalama contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while Antonio Baker also added 12 points and seven rebounds. Tyler Shirley collected a game-high eight rebounds for the Rattlers.
Florida A&M out-rebounded Grambling State by a margin of 40-32. The team secured 12 offensive rebounds, resulting in 12 second-chance points. “Ndalama pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace the Florida A&M offense which grabbed 12 boards and turned them into 12 second chance points,” according to the release.
The Rattlers’ defense forced Grambling into making mistakes, causing a total of 13 turnovers that resulted in ten points for Florida A&M. “The Florida A&M defense caused its share of mistakes in Saturday’s game, forcing 13 Grambling turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 10 points on the other end of the floor,” as stated by the team.
In the first half, Florida A&M went on an eight-point run midway through and entered halftime leading by a score of 30-17. The majority of their early scoring came from inside, with “Florida A&M did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 16 of its 30 points close to the basket.”
The Rattlers maintained control throughout the second half, including a late five-point run capped by a three-pointer from Sanders that extended their lead to double digits with just over two minutes remaining.
Additional notes from the game include holding Grambling State to just over thirty-three percent shooting from the field and never trailing during play. The Rattlers recorded five blocks as a team and were particularly effective at both ends near the basket, scoring most of their points in the paint.
Florida A&M will look to continue its momentum as it approaches postseason play.
