ATLANTA — Florida A&M women's basketball is not interested in moral victories, but the Tuesday night loss to Georgia State certainly deserved high praise. The team showed great resolve in the 61-52 setback, the closest point margin this season, and three Rattlers finished in double-figures.
With contributions from three different scorers, collective basketball assisted FAMU to seven quick points and a 7-7 tie with 6:42 to go. However, the following minutes privileged Georgia State, as it limited its visitors to one made field goal the rest of the quarter while padding its lead to 22-11. Neither shot particularly well in the second stanza, though the Panthers entered the locker room with a 32-21 edge. Each team recorded 10 points in the quarter, and Caylan Jones guided the Rattlers' offense with four. Her turnaround jump shot pulled the side within eight, 25-17, with 6:35 left, and the third quarter belonged to Dylan Horton.
The junior guard was just the spark Florida A&M needed. She went 3-for-3 from the floor, with a pair of treys, and 11 third-quarter points to keep FAMU within striking distance. Malerie Brooks knocked down a 3-pointer to close its deficit to 49-40 at the 9:46-mark, and the team, unfortunately, could not pull any closer than nine.
Horton recorded a game-high 18 points while Brooks and Tia Bradshaw added 10 apiece. Brooks also added a team-high seven rebounds.
The Rattlers are off to the Coastal Carolina Christmas Classic this weekend for action against CCU on Saturday and the College of Charleston on Sunday. Both will tip-off at 2 p.m.
