TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The Florida A&M University men’s basketball team overcame a slow start as six Rattler players posted double figures in scoring in a 90-74 exhibition victory over Edward Waters College on Wednesday night at the Al Lawson Center.
Rod Melton, Jr. registered a team-high 18 points, along with eight rebounds and two assists to pace the Rattlers. MJ Randolph chipped in 17 points, four boards, three assists and two steals. Evins Desir and DJ Jones each had a big night with double-doubles. Jones recorded a game-high 12 rebounds, with three blocks and two assists, while Desir added 10 rebounds. Brendon Myles came off the bench to provide 13 points and Nasir Core chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds, a team-high five assists, with one steal.
Chris Oakley led Edward Waters with 19 points, including going 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Chandler Fointno and Dawan Base tallied 10 points each.
Turning Point
Florida A&M got off to a slow start against Edward Waters as the Tigers grabbed a 22-13 advantage after a 3-pointer by Chris Oakley with 10:37 left in the first half.
The Rattlers slowly started to chip away at the deficit and took a 33-32 advantage after a pair of free throws by Evins Desir with 4:26 remaining.
The Tigers held a 37-35 lead with 1:43 left, but a pair of Rod Melton, Jr. free throws tied the game at 37 and the teams went into the break knotted up at 37.
A free throw by Nasir Core gave the Rattlers a 45-41 lead with 17:52 left, and that bucket would spark a 14-3 run, capped by a Brendon Myles jumper with 13:40 remaining.
The Tigers closed the gap to 62-56 after a jumper by Marcus Cain with 9:17 left, but Florida A&M put the game away with a 16-6 run over the next five minutes and did not look back in the 90-74 victory.
Inside the Numbers
> Florida A&M shot 49.2 percent (31-of-63) from the floor and 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from the charity stripe
> Edward Waters was 25-of-61 (41.0 percent) from the field and 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) from the foul line
> FAMU registered 45 rebounds, including 32 on the defensive glass
> EWC pulled down 31 rebounds, with 25 coming on the defensive end
> The Rattlers finished with 32 points in the paint, 27 bench points, 19 second-chance points, 17 points off 13 Tiger turnovers and two fastbreak points
> The Tigers recorded 34 bench points, 30 points in the paint, 18 points off 14 Rattler turnovers, four second-chance points and four fastbreak points
Up Next
Florida A&M opens the 2019-20 season on Tuesday with a trip to Los Angeles, Calif. to take on USC. Tip-off is set for 12 a.m. (eastern) from the Galen Center and the game can be streamed live on the Pac-12 Network.
Follow Florida A&M Athletics
For complete coverage of Florida A&M athletics, please follow the Rattlers on social media at @FAMUAthletics (Twitter), /FAMUAth (Facebook), @famuathletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Florida A&M Athletics at famuathletics.com.
