FAMU women hold off Morgan State, 51-48, for 1st MEAC win of season

The FAMU women’s basketball team held off a last gasp run by Morgan State to eke out a 51-48 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory at the Al Lawson Center Monday evening.

Riding a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 44-43, on a pair of free throws by Shalunda Burney-Robinson with 5:19 to play, FAMU outscored the Bears, 7-5 down the stretch to notch their first MEAC win of the season.

In a battle of hard-luck squads, punctuated by cold shooting and turnovers, the host Rattlers trailed virtually the entire game behind Morgan State (2-14, 0-3 MEAC), falling behind as much as nine points in the first half, before they rallied to close to three points, 25-22 at the half.

FAMU shot 37.5 percent the first half, and 33.3 percent on the night, while Morgan State shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half, finishing at 34.7 percent.

The second half was a much closer affair as both teams took turns missing point blank layups and committing turnovers to keep the game margin at single digits.

Morgan could only manage to hold a five-point lead in the third quarter, as the Rattlers hung close forcing two tie scores in the period, with Janessa Fauntroy's layup with five seconds left in the frame giving the visitors a 40-38 lead.

The final period opened with a nearly three-minute scoring drought, before Fauntroy's two free throws with 7:07 left gave the Bears a four-point lead at 42-38, before a free throw by teammate Jihayah Chavis with 6:57 left put the Bears up by five, 43-38.

That set the stage for FAMU's dramatic comeback in the final moments to not only clinch their first conference win, but their first Division One win of the 2016-17 season.

Senior guard Cedricka Sweeting led FAMU with 12 points, followed by Burney-Robinson's 10-point, 12 rebound double double, and 10 points from Kennedy Burks.

Tykyrah Williams led Morgan State with 12 points and seven rebounds, with Jihayah Chavis adding nine points.