Win over Wildcats puts FAMU in SWAC tournament
Photo courtesy FAMU athletics
Photo by St. Clair Murraine
By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer
Using a defense that forced 13 turnovers and finding a steady offense in the second half, the FAMU women’s basketball team won the most pivotal rivalry game in the Bridgett Gordon era.
The Rattlers rallied late last Saturday afternoon at Lawson Center to defeat the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 69-65 and clinched a berth to the SWAC basketball championship tournament. The win makes Gordon the first coach to take the women’s team into the postseason since 2019 when the Rattlers played in the MEAC.
Gordon, an Olympian gold medalist who made her name at Tennessee, took over the FAMU program last year. She quickly built a team, adding walk-ons with her scholarship players.
They showed flashes of being better than average throughout the season under the first-time head coach.
“I’m just happy,” said Gordon after the game. “I can’t be happier than to take Florida A&M to their first SWAC championship. They have called us everything (but) we are winners.”
FAMU, 9-20 overall, began play in the SWAC tournament Wednesday at Bartow Arena, in Birmingham, Ala., facing second-seeded Grambling University.
FAMU entered the tournament as the seventh seed with an 8-10 conference record. They faced a familiar foe.
Grambling won both regular season games by a combined 14 points, the first going three overtime periods before FAMU fell 88-85. A win for the Rattlers in Birmingham puts them in a Friday game against either Southern or Alcorn State, the only other teams in FAMU’s side of the bracket.
The Rattlers have to win their first two games to get into the championship matchup. Two tournament games will be played each day through the championship Saturday at 5 p.m.
FAMU’s offense was led by Ahriahna Grizzle with 23-points, most scored in the game by any player. Other double-digit scorers for the Rattlers were Olivia Delancy with 14 points, and Sydney Hendrix , who came off the bench to add 13 points.
The Rattlers won on the boards, 42-40. Delancy had nine of those for FAMU.
In addition to the double-dig Wildcats’ turnovers forced by the Rattlers, FAMU limited them to 28.6 percent shooting.
After taking control in the opening period, the Rattlers went into intermission down 44-36. FAMU regained control with its post play and after breaking the last of seven ties never looked back.
