Second Half Blitz Lifts Rattlers Past SSU, 64-57

TALLAHASSEE, Florida --The FAMU Men’s Basketball team closed out a challenging 2014-15 campaign with a sweet Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory Thursday night, 64-57 over visiting Savannah State at the Al Lawson Center.

FAMU (2-27, 2-14 in MEAC) ended their season Thursday, as NCAA academic sanctions ban them from any postseason tournament, but the final game left a good taste in their mouths as they overcame a halftime deficit with a white hot shooting second half.

The Rattlers shot 63.6 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes, erasing their 28-23 halftime deficit with a 41-29 winning surge.

Craig Bowman's layup with 8:29 left gave FAMU the lead for good at 45-44, and Jermaine Ruttley put on a dominating performance down the stretch, scoring 21 of his game-high 28 in the second half.

Junior guard Jermaine Ruttley led all scorers with 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting, with a pair of three-pointers and six-of-nine free throws.

Graduate student Quentin Bastian, who was honored as a senior prior to Thursday’s game, added 11 points and a team high six rebounds.

Savannah State (9-21, 5-11 in MEAC) was led by Khalen Pinkett’s 11 points and 10 more from Hikeem Champaigne.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION