FAMU (4-12, 1-0 MEAC) went toe to toe with the Bison in the first half, exchanging leads three times before Howard grabbed a slim 37-36 halftime lead.
Trailing 57-54 midway through the second half, senior Justin Ravenel knocked down a three-pointer to tie the score at the 10:37 mark, before Nasir Core splashed a triple with 9:26 left to put FAMU ahead for good at 60-57.
The Rattlers the closed out the game with a 22-15 run, twice leading by double digits.
Ravenel led FAMU with 20 points, hitting four of seven shots from distance. Core and M.J. Randolph each scored 11 points, while D.J. Jones and Iffy Umezurike each added 10 points.