The FAMU men's basketball team (2-6, 1-0 MEAC) won its home opener yesterday against South Carolina State (0-13, 0-3 MEAC) 70-68 inside the Al Lawson Center. The victory was the Rattlers’ opener in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play.
MJ Randolph, a preseason MEAC second-team selection, led the Rattler attack tallying a double-double scoring a game-high 21 points while snatching 13 rebounds with five assists and three steals. Randolph went 9-for-15 on field goal attempts.
Three other Rattlers scored in double-figures. DJ Jones scored 12 points with a game-high four blocks to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Bryce Moragne scored 11 points, going 5-of-6 from the field four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Johnny Brown contributed 10 points with eight rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Coming off of a sensational 21-point performance against the University of South Carolina last weekend, freshman guard, Jalen Speer, added nine points, including going 3-of-5 from behind the arc.
For the game, Florida A&M shot 49.1 percent from the field (28-of-57), while SCSU scored on 40.3 percent of their shots (27-of-67). The Rattlers hit 30 percent of their three-point attempts (6-of-20), while the Bulldogs hit on seven of their 24 attempts from behind the arc (29.2 percent).
South Carolina State was paced offensively by Omar Croskey, who poured in 18 points with six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
The victory extends FAMU's home winning streak to nine. The Rattlers will face the Bulldogs again on tonight at the Al Lawson Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.