TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Jan. 19) –“Lackadaisical.”
That was the word FAMU Women’s basketball LeDawn Gibson used to describe her team’s effort out of the gate against MEAC leading Maryland Eastern Shore Saturday afternoon, losing 68-36 at the Al Lawson Center.
FAMU (2-14, 0-4 MEAC), never led in Saturday’s uninspired effort after the tip off. Turnovers and less than stellar defensive rebounding and defensive rotations is what lead the Rattlers finding themselves in a hole very early in this game.
Poor shooting on the offensive end, especially at the free throw line, a combined 5 for 17 from the charity stripe, was another reason why the Rattlers could not make a dent in the deficit throughout most of the game.
Seventeen (17) first half turnovers, mainly attributed to UMES’ full court pressing after every made basket in the first half is what led to many of the Hawks’ 38 first half points.
It was a rough day for Rattler forward Dy’Manee Royal, after last week’s strong 17-point performance against Savannah State. FAMU struggled to get her incorporated into the offense, as she finished the game with four points.
For Maryland Eastern Shore (8-10, 4-1 MEAC), it was an even distribution of production on the offensive end, with fourplayers scoring in double digits. Dominique Walker led them with 11 points, while Ciani Byrom, Keyera Eaton and Ra’Jean Martin each scored 10 points.
It was sound fundamentals that gave them the edge in essentially every important team statistic; shooting above 72% from the free throw line, outrebounding the Rattler’s by 12 with 51 rebounds in total and limiting their turnovers to 11 compared to the 23 by FAMU.
While it was not a game the Rattler’s will hang their hat on, there was a sense of pride that kicked at the end of the fourth quarter.
Down 45 points with just under five minutes remaining in the game, the Rattler’s closed the game on the on a 15 to 2 run lead by guard Morgan Mitchell and Mya Moye and forward Jhakya Dilworth, who finished with tied for team-high scoring honors with eight points apiece.
The crowd, which never wavered in their enthusiasm during the game, cheered in jubilation after a furious fastbreak rally to score the final points of the game.
In her post-game press conference coach Gibson announced that she told her team that she no longer had a starting lineup, and that all players will have to earn their minutes for the rest of the season.
Coach has limited time to figure out her next starting lineup for the Rattlers’ next chance to right the ship is Monday, against Delaware State at the Lawson Center.
Game Tip off is at 2:00 p.m.
