The Al Lawson Center crackled with a different kind of electricity Saturday evening. It wasn’t the nervous energy of hope, but the palpable current of belief. In a scene that defined resilience, both FAMU basketball teams authored comeback stories, sweeping the Southern Jaguars picking up SWAC statement wins.
For the women’s team, it was a tale of defiance. For the men, a lesson in composure. Together, they provided a perfect snapshot of a program finding its fight.
The comeback queens: FAMU women stun Southern, 60-57
Purifoy, a whirlwind of intensity, poured in a game-high 21 points, dishing four assists and snatching three steals. But her biggest contribution was her unshakable demeanor with the game on the line.
“We’ve been in these fights all season,” Purifoy said, a sheen of sweat still on her brow post-game. “Tonight, we decided we weren’t leaving this floor without a win. It was our time.”
The Rattlers’ defense was the engine of the comeback, clamping down on Southern (7-8, 3-1 SWAC) and holding them to a frigid 34.4% from the field. They transformed defense into offense, with Shaniyah McCarthy (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Camille Jackson (8 points, 4 assists) providing critical secondary scoring.
The defining sequence came in the paint, a area FAMU owned when it mattered most. Led by Miya Giles-Jones’ relentless work on the offensive glass—pulling down three offensive boards—the Rattlers generated 11 second-chance opportunities, converting them into seven crucial points.
“That’s just want-to,” said FAMU head coach Bridgette Gordon. “You can’t draw that up. Miya, Tahnyjia, Camille—they just wanted it more. They refused to be denied. That’s the identity we’re building.”
The win, clawed from the jaws of a fourth-quarter deficit, improves the Lady Rattlers to 2-1 in the SWAC, a record that speaks louder than their overall mark ever could.
Steady as they go: FAMU men grind out 67-59 victory
The trio of Tyler Shirley, Miles Ndalama, and Micah Octave proved too much for Southern to handle. Shirley, the catalyst, led all scorers with 17 points to go with seven rebounds, his clutch three-pointer with 8:32 left in the game pushing the lead to 50-40 and effectively silencing Southern’s final push.
“Coach’s message was to stay poised,” Shirley said. “They made runs, it’s a good team. But we trusted our system, trusted our defense, and we got the stops we needed.”
The defense was indeed the headline, forcing 14 turnovers and converting them into 13 points. In the trenches, Micah Octave was a monster, tallying 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds, anchoring a FAMU squad that won the battle on the glass 39-32.
Perhaps most promising was the contribution from the bench, which accounted for 10 of the team’s 37 second-half points, showcasing a depth that will be critical as the SWAC season wears on.
“A conference win is always huge, especially at home,” said head coach Charlie Ward. “It wasn’t always pretty, but it was tough. We showed grit. We showed we can close. That’s something to build on.”
With the win, the men’s team evens its conference record at 1-1, injecting a surge of confidence into a team eager to make its mark.
The mens team host the Grambling Tigers on Monday night at 7 pm in the Lawson Center.