Many hands were in the pot in Florida A&M men’s basketball victory over Jacksonville.
On Wednesday, Dec. 17, the Rattlers (3-5) hosted and defeated the Dolphins (5-7) 72-65 at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center.
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Four different FAMU players scored in double figures, led by Antonio Baker Jr. The junior from Savannah notched 17 points.
Tyler Shirley contributed 15 points, Jaquan Sanders scored 13, and Miles Ndalama added 12.
FAMU outshot Jacksonville with a 49 field goal percentage compared to the Dolphins’ 41.5.
The Rattlers won the rebounding battle over the Dolphins 32-29.
The Rattlers never trailed and led by as much as 18 points over the Jacksonville Dolphins.
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach Charlie Ward instructs his team from the sideline during an NCAA college basketball game versus the Albany State Golden Rams at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. The Rattlers beat the Golden Rams 93-77.
Wednesday settled the score for the FAMU versus Jacksonville season series. The Dolphins had defeated the Ratters 85-82 in Jacksonville on Dec. 2.
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The Rattlers’ most recent triumph was the first win over an NCAA Division I opponent for FAMU’s new head coach, Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner and former point guard in the National Basketball Association.
FAMU has won three consecutive games.
The Rattlers return to action in a two-game Texas road trip, starting with Tarleton State on Friday, Dec. 19, and then TCU on Sunday, Dec. 21.
FAMU women’s basketball shows fight in loss at Florida Gators
FAMU women’s basketball showed the early makings of an upset over Florida.
But it wasn’t enough.
After holding a 19-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Rattlers (0-9) faded away in a 76-51 loss to the Florida Gators (11-2) at Gainesville’s Exatech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
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Freshman guard Cornelia Ellington led the Rattlers with 13 points. Camille Jackson, also a guard, scored 12.
FAMU struggled to make shots consistently, only converting on 17-of-52 (33 percent) field goal attempts. Meanwhile, the Gators shot 28-for-48 (58 percent).
![Florida guard Liv McGill (23) gets fouled by Florida A&M guard Camille Jackson (5) during the second half of an NCAA women’s basketball game at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Florida won 76-51[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yGFDhYKNIVtlqB04vzR8mg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcxMDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/tallahassee-democrat/a7a9f1c10a3c658c348c8c64581b913b)
Florida guard Liv McGill (23) gets fouled by Florida A&M guard Camille Jackson (5) during the second half of an NCAA women’s basketball game at Steven C. O’Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Florida won 76-51[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]
Florida outrebounded FAMU 40-27.
FAMU will play again on Sunday, Dec. 21, when it hosts West Georgia at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center at 2 p.m.
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: FAMU basketball’s Charlie Ward gets first Division I win vs Jacksonville
