Florida A&M men’s basketball couldn’t get it done in its opening day game versus the South Florida Bulls.
The Rattlers (0-1), led by first-year head coach Charlie Ward, faltered at USF (1-0) 102-67 at Tampa’s Yuengling Center on Monday, Nov. 3.
Advertisement
FAMU showed fight early, trailing the USF Bulls 47-33 at halftime. However, USF ran away with the game in the second half by outscoring FAMU 55-34.
USF guard Wes Enis scored a game-high 22 points.
FAMU guard Micah Octave led the Rattlers with 16 points and eight rebounds. Forward Tyler Shirley contributed 14 points, while guard Jordan Chatman added 11 points.
FAMU forced 15 USF turnovers, led by a game-high four steals by guard Jaquan Sanders.
However, the Rattlers committed 21 turnovers of their own and shot just 37 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point range, which ultimately worked to their detriment.
Advertisement
FAMU women’s basketball dominated at Florida State
FAMU women’s basketball (0-1) was simply no match for in-town opponent Florida State (1-0), losing 112-39 at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee.
The Rattlers fell behind the Seminoles 20-9 in the first quarter, and it was off to the races for FSU from there.
Florida A&M head women’s basketball coach Bridgette Gordon coaches up her team at an on-campus practice at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
Seminoles guard Solé Williams led the game with 18 points.
FAMU guard Cornelia Ellington was the Rattlers’ lone double-digit scorer. The true freshman had 16 points.
The Rattlers shot just 19 percent from the field and 17 percent from beyond the arc.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Charlie Ward defeated in FAMU basketball regular opener vs USF
