GREENSBORO, North Carolina - It came down to the last shot and last possession against Florida A&M Monday night, and the North Carolina A&T women's basketball team put the ball into the hands of clutch shooter Amber Calvin with four seconds on the clock.
The Aggies got the ball on their side of the floor with 11 seconds remaining. After dribbling and working to help Calvin get open, freshman Jessica Lyons passed the ball to Calvin, who took aim and shot, but it went wide right. Sophomore Tiffanie Adair made a grab for the rebound, but FAMU forward Qiana Donald came up with the ball as the clock expired, leaving the Rattlers victorious 70-68.
"Amber is the best 3-point shooter in the conference. It just fell short," said head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. "That's who I wanted to have the ball, yes. Even though she had not shot the ball well from the three tonight, she does shoot well in the clutch. She had the open look, but just couldn't knock it down."
The Aggies (7-9, 2-1) tied the game at 56-56 on a pair of free throws from sophomore Tracy King, who ended the game with a team-high 17 points, six assists and four steals, with 8:28 left in the contest. The Rattlers took a four-point lead before Lyons made a pair of free throws after being fouled by guard Kimberly Sparkman to make it a 62-60 game with 3:49 remaining. The Rattlers took a six-point lead following a pair of 3-pointers from Antonia Bennett, who had 25 points and 11 boards, and Jasmine Grice, who finished with 19. The last four points the Aggies made in the contest were free throws.
"Gosh this is a tough loss, but I don't know when I was so proud of these girls. When you take a good team like FAMU, and they executed and we executed, it just came down to that last thing," said Bibbs, who is seven wins away from her 500th career win.
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FAMU Rattlers Cap Road Sweep With 70-68 Win Over North Carolina A&T
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - The Lady Rattlers have learned to win big and today they learned they could win close, as they defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies 70-68 at the Corbett Center in Greensboro, N.C. The win was the seventh straight victory for the Lady Rattlers. Quietly, under all of the fanfare of the win, Tameka McKelton sank a three-point shot at the 17:40 mark in the first half to tie the FAMU record for made three-pointers.
The Lady Rattlers were led offensively by the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week and conference leading scorer, Antonia Bennett. Bennett poured in shots from every angle en route to scoring 25 points on 10-18 shooting from the field. She managed a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Jasmine Grice got a rare start for the Lady Rattlers and responded with 19 points on 8-14 shooting, including 2-6 from the three-point arch. McKelton carded 11 points on 5-18 shooting.
Qiana Donald led FAMU on the boards with 12 rebounds. All nine Lady Rattlers who played got at least one rebound in the game.
The game was an important victory for the Lady Rattlers as they hadn't won there during Gibson's tenure at FAMU. "This was a big victory. It felt real good beating them in their home gym, where everyone knows it's difficult to beat them. On the flip side, I don't think we could have played any worse and still come out on top," Gibson said.
Both teams pressed for most of the game. While it made for an exciting game to watch, it took its toll on the players. "We pressed mainly to slow the ball down and work our offense, which we did a pretty good job in the first half. In the second half, I believe we let them score just a little bit too much," Gibson added.
The Lady Rattlers shot 16-36 (44.4 %) from the field in the first half and 13-34 (38.2%) in the second half for a game total of 41.4 percent. From the three-point line, FAMU shot 3-12 (23.1 %) in the first half and 2-10 (20 %) in the second hald, for a game total of 21.7 percent. From the free throw line, the Lady Rattlers shot 5-5 (100%) in the first half and 2-3 (67% ) in the second half for an 87.5 percent game average.
The Aggies were led by Tracy King, who scored 17 points on 6-17 shooting. Nikia Gorham contributed 14 points, while JaQuayla Berry chipped in 12 points. Berry and Gorham grabbed eight rebounds each to lead the Aggies.
The game was a back and forth affair, where the Lady Rattlers could not distance themselves from the Aggie. The game was tied two times and there were five lead changes in the game.
Bennett, who spent the last two games filling other roles, knew she needed to step up the scoring against a tough conference opponent. " I knew my team needed me to step up offensively and defensively. I think I went with what they gave me and played the best I could within that. There's always room for improvement, and I'm ready to get back to Tallahassee to work on it," Bennett said. She added, "I haven't won here (Greensboro) since I've been here, so in a big rivalry game, it's a much-needed win."
The Lady Rattlers will embark on their first home conference stand of the season as they will face the Lady Tigers of Savannah State University on Sat., Jan. 14, at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast on RattlerVision.
The Lady Rattlers are undefeated in conference play this season at 3-0. Bennett welcomes returning to the friendly confines of the Lawson Center. "It's going to feel good to go back home and play in front of our crowd. We've got a tough Savannah State team and then South Carolina State, so next weekend should be exciting," she said.
By Florida A&M University Sports Information
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