FAMU's Gibson gets a contract extension

Tallahassee, FL - LeDawn Gibson will have two more years to complete her turnaround of the Florida A&M women's basketball team.

A day after the school's Board of Trustees approved a two-year contract extension for Gibson, FAMU president James Ammons said Friday it was a "huge vote of confidence." He also said he is optimistic that Gibson could take the team farther than it has gone in the past three seasons when it reached the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.

"As we take a look at where the program was before she came and the progress over these last three years," he said, "we think we are a short time away from hitting pay dirt."

Gibson was unavailable Friday for comment...

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NOTE:  We now love this hire!

Coach LeDawn Gibson has successfully made the transition from Winter Haven High School to become a successful Division I level coach.  Just ask East Carolina University that was defeated by the Lady Rattlers 89-85 at the Iowa State Cyclone Challenge last December. Gibson knocked off both South Florida and Florida in an 18-11 season in 2009.  She has made some superb moves in the hiring of assistant coaches Stephen Joyner, who was promoted to the head women's basketball coaching position at Winston Salem State and veteran assistant Freddie Murray from North Carolina A&T.  Coach Murray was a top assistant under legendary coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs and is noted for being a great recruiter and position coach.

It appears the combine skills of Gibson and Murray have already paid the gas bill--with the signing of four junior college transfers and seven high school recruits with most in the Rivals 3-4 star category.  This is going to be a very exciting team to watch over the next several years, as we expect Coach Gibson to earn her first MEAC championship and NCAA Championship berth.

We now love this hire!

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Florida A&M's Moore making big impact

Florida A&M freshman guard Avery Moore scored a 3-point transition field goal from near midcourt, while the Bethune-Cookman defense was crashing down around the basket.

On the ensuing Wildcats' possession, C.J. Reed hit a trey of his own. Immediately afterward, Moore and Reed briefly exchanged words. Moore flashed a smile. "He was telling me you're not scoring anymore," said Moore. "I'm the player of the year and this is my gym."

Moore didn't back down. Not on offense or on defense. Down to the final seconds in the Rattlers' overtime loss to B-CU, he made plays on both ends of the floor.

Dynamic duo leads FAMU into postseason

When coach LeDawn Gibson was recruiting Antonia Bennett and Tameka McKelton, she saw two players who had very different roles on their high school basketball teams.

McKelton was the star at West Palm Beach High, while Bennett played in the shadow of two featured players at Lakeland High. But Gibson, who is in her third season as head coach at Florida A&M, figured the diverse roles that they played could be meshed to form a nucleus for her program.


Videographer: FAMUSPORTS

FAMU looks to Bennett once again

DAYTONA — Coach LeDawn Gibson can begin preparing her Florida A&M women's basketball team with a little bit more emphasis on the role that forward Antonia Bennett will play during next week's MEAC tournament.

The cards played out in such a fashion during Thursday's final regular season games that the Rattlers won't play until the third day after competition begins in Winston-Salem, N.C. When they step on the court against Coppin State, it would be exactly a week after their 68-59 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday at Moore Gymnasium.

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FAMU Rattlers push B-CU to overtime, but fall 73-71

DAYTONA BEACH — Two, three and four. Those are among the top teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that fell victim to Florida A&M. The No. 1 team narrowly escaped.

FAMU took Bethune-Cookman University into overtime Thursday night before falling 73-71 in a thriller to end the regular-season for both teams. The win did nothing to help the Rattlers void having to start the postseason with a play-in game at the conference tournament next week, but it ended their best league play in three years with a 12-19 overall record and 7-9 in the conference.

In fact, the gutsy performance at Moore Gymnasium should go down as an epic battle between any two MEAC teams this season. It went right down to the final 2.2 seconds when Alexander Stalling converted a steal and scored the final field goal of the game.

Lady Rattlers Win Battle Against B-CU 68-59 at Historic Moore Gymnasium

The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (15-14, 9-7 MEAC) fought hard down the stretch to hold off the B-CU Lady Wildcats (13-14, 5-10 MEAC) 68-59 in their final game before the MEAC tournament.

Shekeira Copeland led the Lady Rattlers in scoring with 19 points, mostly in the paint. Copeland also grabbed eight rebounds, three offensive, which contributed to her dominant inside presence. Tameka McKelton and Qiana Donald scored 13 points each, to round out the trio in double figures. Donald also grabbed seven rebounds for the Lady Rattlers.

B-CU’s Cleneice Roberts led all scorers, hitting 12-18 from the field for a total of 26 points. Jasmine Elum scored 15 points and was the only other Wildcat in double figures. Roberts also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Sarah Bolden nabbed eight.

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Howard Lady Bison Basketball Extends Home Win-Streak to Seven

WASHINGTON, DC – The Howard University women’s basketball team extended its home winning streak to seven with a 67-58 win over Florida A&M (13-11, 8-5 MEAC) on Saturday, February 19. With the win, the Lady Bison split the season series with the Rattlers and improve to 7-5 in MEAC play.

Saadia Doyle led the all scorers with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The redshirt-sophomore is now 29 points away from 1,000. Tamoria Holmes recorded a flawless game with 14 points, five assists, and no turnovers in 35 minutes of action. Adelle Walton proved to be a spark off the bench with 11 points off 4-of-6 shooting from the floor. Cheyenne Curley-Payne chipped in with eight points and eight boards.

“This win was very important,” said Curley-Payne. “Our goal is to finish with a good seed in the [conference] tournament.”

The HU defense converted 19 FAMU turnovers into 14 points. Howard also won the battle of the boards, 40-37 – including 15 offensive – and scored 13 points of second chance opportunities. The Lady Bison dominated in the paint, outscoring Florida A&M 36-12.

HU began the game with a 7-0 run, capped by a Doyle layup. FAMU was held scoreless until an Antonia Bennett basket at the 15:53 mark. The spread was 14-7 midway through the period and Howard used an 11-3 run over a three-plus span to take its largest lead of the game, 25-10 with 6:30 left in the half. The Lady Bison took a slim 29-21 advantage at intermission.

In the second stint, HU pushed the margin back to double-digits behind a Curley-Payne jumper to start the period. FAMU chipped into the Lady Bison lead and outscored Howard 12-7 over a three-plus span to make it 38-33 at the 12:47 mark. The Rattlers used a Tameka McKelton shot from behind the arc to for a 40-36 score with 11:49 remaining in regulation.

Florida A&M would not get any closer as Howard went on an 11-1 run to push the spread back to double-digits (52-37). Walton hit two three-pointers during that run. The San Diego, Calif. native went 3-for-5 from behind the arc.

For the Rattlers, Bennett tallied a game-high 19 points. McKelton and Jasmine Grice finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Prior to the game, HU was tied for fourth place in the MEAC with North Carolina A&T, while Florida A&M held the third spot. Howard will look to continue its home win streak as it hosts Bethune-Cookman on Mon. Feb. 21 beginning at 6 p.m.

By Jamilah Corbitt
Assistant Director of Sports Information
Howard University

FAMU women's basketball team celebrates after a big victory

There was a bit of a celebration in the locker room of the Florida A&M women's basketball team at the Lawson Center. And, it had nothing to do with the fact that the Rattlers are now in sole possession of third place in the MEAC.

The postgame merriment Monday night was spurred by the Rattlers reaching a team goal for the first time in a conference game when they defeated Delaware State University 68-46. The 46 points allowed was the cause for celebration.

Holding conference opponents to 55 or fewer points is one of the team's goals set by coach LeDawn Gibson, but FAMU has not been able to do so against a conference opponent until Monday night.

FAMU men win seventh straight game at home

Simply put — there is no place like home for the Florida A&M men's basketball team.

Amin Stevens scored 16 points and the Rattlers fought off a late surge from Delaware State University for a 69-63 victory to complete a four-game home stretch without a loss at the Lawson Center. The Rattlers improved to 10-1 at home and extended their consecutive win streak to seven on their home floor.

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NEXT GAME: FEBRUARY 19, 2:00 P.M. @ HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Florida A&M defeats Morgan State 63-59

Rattlers dominant at home against Morgan State

They haven't won a game on the road all season, but that might be just fine with coach Eugene Harris for right now. His Florida A&M men's basketball team is making gains when it plays at home.  For the second consecutive game at the Lawson Center, the Rattlers knocked off one of the powers of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference by downing defending conference champion Morgan State University 63-59 Saturday night.

The win gave the Rattlers (8-18, 3-6) an 8-1 record at home and snapped a two-game losing streak, while preventing the Bears (10-10, 6-3) from creating a logjam at the top of the conference standings. The display that the Rattlers put on was the result of having the entire roster back after injuries had depleted the team, Harris said.


Videographer: RattlerBoosters

Women's Basketball Needs Overtime to Silence Lady Rattlers, 63-54

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Moneshia Davis came off the bench and scored a game-high tying 15 points and Brittany Dodson added 13 points to lead Morgan State to a 63-54 overtime victory over host Florida A&M in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday evening at the Al Lawson Center. The win was the Lady Bears' sixth straight over the Lady Rattlers and just the ninth win in the series' 40 meetings.

Morgan State's Theresa Davis also came off the bench and fell shy of a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds and 10 points to help Morgan State to a 40-10 advantage over FAMU in bench scoring.

Shooting woes keep Rattlers under wraps

The Florida A&M women’s basketball team shot poorly in the first half, picked it up in the second, but reverted to its bad ways in overtime in losing Saturday night at the Lawson Center.

The Rattlers' two leading scorers Antonia Bennett and Tameka McKelton struggled and the team's inefficiency at the free-throw line added up to a 63-54 loss to Morgan State University. It was a loss that could haunt the Rattlers as they head into the final weeks of the regular seasons.

FAMU (10-11, 5-4) fell to a fourth-place tie with North Carolina A&T.

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Rattlers withstand late surge by MSU, 63-59

Florida A&M Shoots Down East Carolina 89-85

AMES, Iowa - The Florida A&M University Women’s Basketball team had four Lady Rattlers to score in double –figures as the Lady Rattlers held on for a 89-85 win over East Carolina in their final game of the Cyclone Challenge, here Thursday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum.

FAMU (5-6) was paced by Antonia Bennett as she scored a game high 24 points to lead all scorers. Tameka McKelton dropped in 22 points, followed by Christian Rateree with 16. Shekeira Copeland in her first collegiate start at FAMU finished with 10 points. Qiana Donald led the Lady Rattlers on the boards with 12 rebounds, while McKelton dished out a team high five assists.

ECU (6-7) also had a quartet of Pirates to score in double-figures with...

FAMU coming off big win

While doing her review of a midweek loss to No. 25 Iowa State, coach LeDawn Gibson saw enough encouraging signs in the Florida A&M women's basketball team. She pointed them out to her players then sent them out to take on East Carolina.

"I told them about, pride, fight and the heart that they play with (against ISU) and we needed to go out and play like that every night," Gibson said. "They showed a lot of class."

Florida A&M Shoots Down ECU, 89-85

AMES, Iowa - East Carolina could not overcome Florida A&M's hot shooting in the first half, seeing a second-half rally fall just short in an 89-85 loss to close out the Iowa State Cyclone Challenge. The Pirates will enter Conference USA play at 6-7 overall while the Rattlers are now 5-6.

East Carolina matched its program record for three-point field goals, knocking down 13. Senior Allison Spivey also took over sole possession of second place on the school charts as she now owns 167 as a result of the four in Thursday's game.

ECU converted 31 of 81 shots from the floor for a 38.3 shooting mark, but FAMU had the accurate hand, shooting 31-for-65 (48.8 percent). The Rattlers also ended with a 47-43 advantage on the glass with East Carolina grabbing 24 offensive boards to 16 for FAMU. The Pirates were stronger in the paint, winning the battle down low with 30 points as compared to 22 for the Rattlers. Florida A&M also turned the ball over 23 times while East Carolina recorded 16 miscues.

No. 20 Iowa State 85, Florida A&M 60

Ames, Ia. — The Iowa State women’s basketball team didn’t show much rust from an eight-day break Wednesday. Senior forward Kelsey Bolte made 7-of-13 3-pointers and poured in a career-high 28 points as the 20th-ranked Cyclones (9-2) rolled past Florida A&M 85-60 in the first night of the Cyclone Challenge. Iowa State will play at 7:30 p.m. tonight against Prairie View A&M (4-6), which lost 68-55 to East Carolina (6-6).

“Kelsey’s having a phenomenal senior season,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “Right now, when she plays well, we’re hard to beat. They started in a zone and her eyes got really big.” Playing before a crowd of 7,512 at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones took command by making 13-of-15 shots during a 31-10 run in the first half. That gave them a 42-15 lead.

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NEXT GAME: 1/2/2011, 6 p.m. CT  @ University of Nebraska - Lincoln
                          WATCH LIVE FREE: CLICK LINK - FAMU vs. NEBRASKA 

Preview: Florida A&M vs. Alabama (Men); FAMU vs. Arkansas (Women)

Florida A&M, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach (and former UA assistant coach) Eugene Harris, recorded a 9-22 mark last year and returns eight players from 2009-10, while welcoming a group of newcomers that features five experienced junior college transfers.


When: 7:30 p.m. today
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa
2009-10 records: FAMU (9-22), UA (17-15)
On the air: TV -- none; Radio -- WXFX-FM 95.1, WACQ-AM 1130, WHBB-AM 1490, WDXX-FM 100.1 (according to Alabama)

Probable FAMU starters: G Rasheem Jenkins (6-1, 185) 7.2 ppg.; G Chris Walker (6-6, 195) 8.1 ppg.; F Larry Jackson (6-6, 215) 8.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.; F Yannick Crowder (6-8, 215) 8.0 ppg.; F Amin Stevens (6-6, 215) 5.7 ppg.

Probable Alabama starters: G Trevor Releford (6-1, 180) true freshman; G Senario Hillman (6-2, 195) 7.9 ppg.; F Tony Mitchell (6-6, 210) 9.2 ppg.; F Chris Hines (6-8, 227) 3.7 ppg.; F JaMychal Green (6-8, 228) 14.1 ppg., 7.2 rpg.

FAMU's outside chances rest on Alabama's perimeter

TUSCALOOSA -- If Florida A&M is to have an outside shot to upset Alabama in the season opener at Coleman Coliseum tonight at 7:30, the Rattlers probably need to make some outside shots. Crimson Tide coach Anthony Grant wasn't happy with his team's perimeter defense or offense in two exhibition victories.

College and Alabama-Huntsville. That should improve when sharp-shooting senior guard Charvez Davis returns soon from hernia surgery. The Crimson Tide's two opponents combined to sink 13 of 55 shots (.236) from 3-point range. "We got exposed in some areas," Grant said after the double-overtime victory over UAH.

Tide ready for change in fortunes

TUSCALOOSA It is officially the start of a new men’s basketball season for the University of Alabama, and its star player, forward JaMychal Green, says he wants this year to be different. “I want a change,” Green said after Monday night’s exhibition win over UAH. “I want us to win more and go to the NCAA Tournament.

“I think we were very close last year,” Green said. “It came down to us not getting key stops, or making a turnover, or not making a big shot.” Starting with tonight’s game against Florida A&M, the Crimson Tide can begin making that change happen.

Lady Rattlers - Razorbacks open season Today

FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas women's basketball team opens the 2010-11 season Friday hosting Florida A&M in an 11:30 a.m. contest in Bud Walton Arena. The opener is the first of five consecutive home games for head coach Tom Collen and the Razorbacks.

"Well, we're excited to play," Collen said. "We had an exhibition game last week and saw some things we wanted to work on in practice. We've done that and now it's time to test that and see how far we've come. We are anticipating a great crowd and they are going to see a team that is really hungry and just wants to play."

The unusual start time of 11:30 a.m. accommodates a promotional event in which area elementary students have been invited to the game as a field trip. The event is paired with educational activities relating to health, nutrition and physical fitness.

"This is a really great event," Collen said. "I'm excited to have more than 2,500 screaming fans in the building, many of whom have not seen a basketball game on this level before."

GAME Time: 11/12/2010, 11:25 AM (Central Time)
MEDIA: Pay-for-View, RazorVision - Watch Live!

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FAMU women's hoops team eager to earn first banner

Rattlers already out on floor preparing for 2010-11 season

As a handful of players from the Florida A&M women's basketball team went through their unsupervised offseason drills inside the Lawson Center, the bare rafters overhead were very obvious. There isn't a single banner hanging yet in the gym that was opened last fall. The FAMU women's basketball team wants to be the first to get one. The process begins when the season does in November.



But the players seemingly are willing to put in the necessary time on the floor and go through early morning workouts in an effort to reach their goal. "It starts right now," said junior forward Antonia Bennett. "I think we really have the talent this year to win. As long as we have the right attitude and the work ethic we can pull it off. We just have to put all the pieces together." Of course, coach LeDawn Gibson will be the one deciding how that is done. But for now the players are making do on their own as they prepare to play at Gibson's up-tempo pace.

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Seminole Classic: Auburn 69, Florida A&M 45

AU Tigers own second half in win over FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Auburn outscored Florida A&M in the second half, extending a 4-point halftime lead to a 69-45 rout in the second game of the 2009 Seminole Classic, hosted by Florida State. Auburn senior KeKe Carrier tallied the team’s first double-double of the season, scoring 17 points while pulling down 12 rebounds, to lead the Tigers against the Rattlers. The game was Auburn’s second in as many days after its 82-67 loss to host Florida State on Friday. Auburn scored the first 10 points of the game and extended it to a 14-point lead at 22-8 with 10:53 left to play in the opening period.

Florida A&M rallied back to cut it to 2 in the final minute, but a Pascale West jumper with 25 seconds left game Auburn the 31-27 lead at halftime. Auburn shot just 36.1 percent from the field in the game. The Tigers also hit 54.3 percent of their free throws. Deidra Jones led Florida A&M with 16 points while Antonia Bennett and Christian Rateree added seven points each. Qiana Donald posted a team-high 12 rebounds. The Tigers held the Rattlers to 26.9 shooting in the game and only six field goals in the second half. Auburn also out-rebounded Florida A&M, 56-42.

Next Game: Tuesday - Auburn at North Carolina A&T, Corbett Sports Complex, 6 p.m., Greensboro, N.C.

Auburn takes care of FAMU women

If LeDawn Gibson needed an explanation for the offensive shortcomings of her FAMU women's basketball team, she had plenty after Saturday's 69-45 loss to Auburn. For one, she could have pointed to the Rattlers' tenacious effort in the Seminole Classic a day earlier against Missouri to explain why they were flat-footed all night at the Civic Center. Then, there was Auburn's 6-foot-7 senior Keke Carrier for FAMU to contend with in the post. Considering Carrier scored the Tigers' first double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) of the season, it certainly wouldn't have been a reach to say she was too much for FAMU.

Instead, Gibson chose to look at the first-half comeback by FAMU (3-2) as a good sign. The second half? Well, that segment of the game film will be reviewed plenty of times. "We are not going to use being tired as an excuse," said Gibson, whose team's next assignment is against the Florida Gators on Tuesday. "We just have to dig deep within ourselves and figure out what it's going to take to push through."

Next Game: Tuesday - FAMU at Florida, 4:30 p.m., Gainesville, FL

Missouri women's basketball sneaks in a road win

The Thanksgiving dinner the Missouri women’s basketball team enjoyed Wednesday evening at coach Cindy Stein's house before traveling to to Tallahassee, Fla., to play in the Seminole Classic at Florida State might have slowed down the Tigers in their game Friday. Stein said her team looked sluggish against Florida A&M, but the Tigers still sneaked past the Rattlers 69-65 to improve to 3-1. “Not a very impressive victory,” Stein said on a radio broadcast after the game.

The Tigers committed 19 turnovers, while forcing 16. Stein pointed out that her team has been working rigorously on its defense and free-throw shooting, but that it didn’t show in the game. Missouri shot just 53.8 percent from the line. “We’ve got to get better in a lot of areas,” Stein said. Missouri led by as many as 11 in the first half, but the Rattlers were able to make a game of it, tying at 53 with just over 10 minutes left. The Rattlers never were able to take the lead.

The Rattlers' Deidra Jones frustrated the Tigers all game long, scoring a game-high 33 points, while shooting 15-for-17 from the line. The Tigers' Amanda Hanneman continued her three-point shooting prowess, connecting on four from behind the arc and finishing with 13 points. “We want her to have the green light. We don’t expect her to miss much,” Stein said of Hanneman.

FAMU turnovers give Missouri 69-65 win

Just before FAMU took the floor at the Civic Center, coach LeDawn Gibson reminded senior guard Deidra Jones of the kind of practice she had the day before. She was pounding the ball up the middle, hounding it whenever it wasn't in her hand and knocking down her shots from the free-throw line. Jones did all that and scored a career-high 33 points Friday night. In the end, though, four turnovers during the closing minutes and the Tigers' accuracy at the free-throw line were too much as the Rattlers fell 69-65.

They tried hard to avert their first loss of the season, hanging around all night with Missouri, which had its biggest lead of 11 points late in the first half. Jones scored 21 points in the second half, including a jumper with 9:24 left to force the last of five ties, 55-55. "She just put the team on her back," said Gibson. "I knew what she is capable of doing but I never saw her do it. She just stepped out."

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FAMU glad to have ferocious Shipman

Latasha Shipman didn't know it then, but she made a lasting impression on LeDawn Gibson when they first met a few years ago. Shipman journeyed from North Carolina, knowing very well that she'd be competing against some Division I powers in a bid to recruit players from the Winter Haven High School basketball team coached then by Gibson.

Shipman, then an assistant coach at Shaw University, didn't get a single player to commit to playing for the Bears. She made a pretty strong case, though, from what Gibson remembers. "That says a lot about her," said Gibson, who became the women's basketball coach at FAMU earlier this year. "She is aggressive. She just wanted the girls that she thought would have made Shaw successful, and she didn't mind who she was competing against."

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FAMU coach Gibson puts together staff, plan

(Mark's Digital Photography)

Excerpt:

LeDawn Gibson hasn't been able to find a quiet moment yet since beginning her job two months as the new women's head basketball coach at FAMU.

So far she has found two experienced coaches in Stephen Joyner Jr. and LaTasha Shipman. Joyner comes from Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, N.C.), where he was a women's assistant coach. Shipman played at Shaw University (Raleigh, N.C.) and is joining Gibson's staff after four seasons as an assistant with the women's team at Shaw.

Gibson also has signed two players — Tameka McKelton and Antonia Bennett — who both come to FAMU ranked by Floridahoops.com as top-40 players in the state.


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