March 6, 2008

Final Stats

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida A&M Rattlers closed out their regular season with their fifth straight win, 69-50 over archrival Bethune-Cookman in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest before a packed house of 3,417 in Gaither Gymnasium.

Florida A&M (14-16, 9-7 in MEAC) clinched their sixth straight winning record in conference play with Thursday's victory, which locked up no worse than a number six seed in next week's MEAC Tournament.

The Rattlers led 30-20 at the break after shooting 48 percent from the floor, cashing in five three-pointers, while holding Bethune-Cookman (11-20, 5-11 in MEAC) to 39 percent shooting. Both clubs shot 50 percent in the second half, with the Rattlers outpacing the Wildcats, 39-30.

Florida A&M placed four players in double figures led by junior Lamar Twitty with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, converting all three of his three-point shots.

Senior Jon Mason also knocked down a trio of three-pointers finishing with 13 points and three steals, while fellow senior Akini Akini turned in a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Leslie Robinson added 10 points.

Bethune-Cookman was led by John Holmes with a game-high 20 points, followed by Joey Woods with 11 points Dewayne Pettus with eight points.

Thursday's win was not only the fifth straight for FAMU, but their sixth in the last seven games, reversing their fortunes after four straight losses in early February, and giving them plenty of momentum heading into next week's conference tournament.

MEAC TOURNAMENT: Official pairings for the MEAC Tournament will be released on Friday by the league office.