Tennessee State drop third straight with loss to Florida A&M



Shuler led TSU with 17 points vs. FAMU
Courtesy: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics

 NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Four Lady Tigers scored in double-digits but it wasn't enough as Tennessee State University dropped its third straight contest in a, 90-75, loss to Florida A&M University Thursday night in the Gentry Center.

Tennessee State (4-8) committed 25 turnovers in the contest while Florida A&M (7-5) recorded 21.

Jasmin Shuler led TSU with 17 points while Kim Haynes tallied 16. Tayla Foster registered 15 points while Alana Morris chipped in 12. Donyeah Mayfield came off the bench to grab a team-high nine rebounds.

After a fairly slow start for both teams, the Rattlers put together a rally that led to them grabbing a 12-4 lead. A couple of buckets by Tayla Foster and Donyeah Mayfield sparked a 9-2 run that pulled TSU to within one, 14-13 before four unanswered points by FAMU put the Rattlers back up, 18-13.

The Lady Tigers managed to cut the deficit down to two, again, following a break-away lay-up by Jasmin Shuler with 9:58 remaining half. The Rattlers, however, used six unanswered points to move ahead, 26-18.

FAMU capitalized on being in the bonus down the stretch and built its advantage up to 32-19 behind a number of free-throws. TSU cut the deficit down to single digits with just over three minutes in the half but FAMU responded with a spurt that made its lead, 42-30.

Alana Morris buried a triple at the buzzer to make the halftime score, 46-35, in favor of the visitors.

TSU opened up the second frame by outscoring FAMU 8-2 and pulled within five, 48-43, before the first media timeout. The deficit went back up to double-digits when the Lady Tigers gave up five unanswered points.

The Lady Tigers continued to fight throughout the half but the Rattlers held off every TSU run attempt. After falling behind, 65-50, Kim Haynes hit a triple from the top of the key to bring TSU within 12 at the 3:51 mark. That, however, would be as close as the Lady Tigers would get.

Tennessee State went 28-of-77 (36.4 percent) from the field, including 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) from three-point range. TSU shot a dismal 55 percent (11-of-20) from the free-throw line and lost the battle of the boards, 54-49.

Lady Tigers return to action on Thursday, Dec. 29 when they host Austin Peay in the OVC opener. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m. in the Gentry Center.

Box Score

Courtesy: Tennessee State Sports Information