The #7 seed Jackson State Tigers didn’t have the ending they expected in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Rattlers first year Head Coach, Charlie Ward, had suffered two in-season losses to the Tigers and was looking to keep his team moving towards the ultimate goal, which is to win the Championship Tournament, and since the Tigers were down a few players, why not take advantage of the opportunity? JSU Tigers were without guards Mike Williams and SWAC Player Of The Year Daeshun Ruffin, who was sidelined with a walking boot from an ankle injury he suffered before the tournament started. To make matters worse, Jalen Tatum injured his foot at the beginning of the game against the #2 seed Florida A&M Rattlers.
Jackson State went on a 12-4 run early in the first half, then went scoreless for nearly four minutes, allowing FAMU to start slow, then get an offensive surge, cutting the Tigers’ lead to one point. Jackson State didn’t take advantage of its opportunity to increase its lead, but was able to end the first with a three-pointer by Jayme Mitchell Jr, giving the Tigers a 1 point lead.
The Rattlers came out in the second half, scoring 24 points in the paint and forcing Jackson State to turn the ball over 10 times, leading to easy baskets. The Tigers’ defense kept things close until their shot selection became questionable, and the Rattlers were able to gain the lead. JSU’s shot selection from behind the arc should have Head Coach Williams wondering why his team didn’t get more movement with the ball to get better shots, going 2 for 10 from behind the three-point line, 8 for 27 from the field, and 8 for 15 from the free-throw line. Jackson State had four players score double digits in the game. Jayme Mitchell Jr lead the team with 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 steals. Devin Ree scored 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals; Dorian McMillian scored 11 points. Delyle Williams scored 10 points, 8 rebounds, and added 5 assists.
Read More: Game Recap: Jackson State’s Narrow Win Against Grambling State
FAMU Rattlers Coach Ward made the necessary changes at the half to start driving the ball into the paint, allowing their bigs to get easy scores. The Tigers allowed the Rattlers to score 36 points in the paint for the game. The Rattlers had four players score double digits in the game. Antonio Baker Jr lead the team with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Tyler Shriley had 13 points, 5 rebounds, Kaleb Washing scored 10 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, added 4 assists and 4 steals, and Jaquan Sanders scored 10 points and added 4 assists.
The Rattlers will move on to play the winner of the Southern University vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff game.