TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Jan. 12) - There is a saying that is as old as the game of basketball itself that basketball truly is a game of runs, and the FAMU Women’s 54-50 loss at home to Savannah State on Saturday was another microcosm of that mantra.
In a game with many ups and downs for FAMU’s women's basketball team, their final run to try to salvage a victory came a little too late as the Rattlers closed the game on a 12-4 run in the final 3 minutes and 20 seconds of the game but the deficit proved too steep as Savannah State left the Lawson center with the victory.
The game started as a defensive gridlock kind of game as both teams struggled to score from the field, with both teams shooting under 25%.
The lack of offensive production can be attributed to both teams use of zone defense in the first half and each team struggling to get out of their own way; with both teams combining for twenty turnovers and FAMU committing 11 of those first half miscues.
Frustrating but correctable mistakes the team can fix. These are the errors that Head Coach LeDawn Gibson said in her post-game press conference that the team will work on fixing, stating the team's lack of focus throughout the week is what led to avoidable mistakes against Savannah State.
Gibson however did have a productive halftime intermission with her team as the team came out on a 14 to 2 run to start the third quarter, quickly turning a 6-point deficit at the half into a six-point lead with 3:13 left in the third quarter, FAMU’s biggest lead of the game.
Placing sophomore guard Morgan Mitchell into the second half starting lineup seemed to put a spark in the team’s offense as the ball movement improved and the offensive tempo noticeably picked up, as FAMU for the third quarter picked apart Savannah’s zone.
However, when Savannah switched from zone to man defense is when FAMU struggled to find scoring options outside of Dy’manee Royal, who was the leading scorer of the game with 17 hard earned points in the paint and her 6 offensive rebounds is what kept the team in the game. Freshman guard Mya Moye added 10 points for FAMU, which got seven points from Deja Antoine, six points from Keziah Dilworth, and four points from Candice and Morgan Mitchell.
It would be Jacquece Alston for Savannah State who would be the difference maker down the final stretch, scoring 8 of her 12 total points in the game’s final period and coming down with clutch rebounds and steals to help catapult Savannah State ahead.
The Rattlers (2-13, 0-3 MEAC) have a week to prepare for their next game at home against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, January 19th, 2019. Tipoff is at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
