Friday, December 6, 2013

Grice and Sparkman lead FAMU Lady Rattlers In 83-62 Win

NORFOLK, Virginia  –  The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (6-3, 1-0 MEAC) opened MEAC play with an 83-62 win over the Norfolk State Spartans (2-5, 0-1 MEAC) in Norfolk.  The game was highlighted by runs, where the Lady Rattlers would eventually overwhelm the Spartans in the second half.

Jasmine Grice poured in a season and game-high 30 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field, while shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.  Kimberly Sparkman had her most productive outing of the season, scoring 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from the three point line.

Taneka Rubin would also score in double figures, as she poured in 17 points, also going perfect from the free throw line making all six shots she attempted.

Jamie Foreman, again led the Lady Rattlers on the board with 10 rebounds.  Grice grabbed nine, while Rubin nabbed seven.

NSU had a trio of Spartans to score exactly 16 points.  Rae Corbo, Ebony Brown and Rachel Gordon each matched the other in a balanced scoring effort.  Gordon would also grab 18 rebounds, for a double-double.


COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

The effort from the Lady Rattlers, coming off a flat performance against Stetson, was a positive one for coach LeDawn Gibson.  “I was happy with the way our team came back after a tough stretch. 

Your goal every year is to make sure you are ready for conference play and starting off with a win is always a positive.  We now have to prepare for Hampton on Saturday, and we will need this type of team effort to win on their home court,” Gibson said.

The Lady Rattlers never trailed the contest, and ended with their largest lead of 21 points, fueled by a 31-10 run coming down the stretch. FAMU got contributions deep into their bench as seven Lady Rattlers scored on the day and 10 grabbed at least one rebound.  NSU tied the game as they came out on fire in the second half, but the Lady Rattlers used a scoring spurts to distance themselves from the Spartans.

FAMU shot 36.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 from behind the three-point line.  They also made the most of their free throw opportunities shooting 88.5 percent from the charity stripe.

The Lady Rattlers will play the Hampton Lady Pirates on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Hampton University Convocation Center.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION RELEASE

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