WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Lamar Twitty scored a team-high 20 points to lead No. 8 Florida A&M through an efficient offensive performance to a 71-58 win over No. 9 Howard in the first-round of the MEAC Tournament Tuesday night at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Rattlers (10-20) advance to the quarterfinals to face top seed and regular season champion Morgan State on Wednesday night beginning at 7 p.m. game. FAMU handed the Bears one of their three regular-season conference losses this season.
Howard ends its season at 8-22.
The Rattlers shot 51 percent from the floor, including 69 percent (11-of-16) from 3-point range. Their 11 3-pointers fell one shy of the tournament single-game record that they set in 2004 against Hampton.
“We were able to take the ball inside and score, which opened up the perimeter game for us,” FAMU coach Eugene Harris said. “We played together as a team and got a lot of good looks at the basket.”
Dale Hughes, who scored 16 points off the FAMU bench, hit all four of his 3-pointers in the first 11 minutes of the game. He nailed three treys and scored the final 10 points in a 12-3 Rattler run that pushed the FAMU lead into double figures at 21-10. Hughes and Twitty (3-of-3) combined to make all seven of their 3-point attempts in the first half, which ended with the Rattlers ahead 41-34.
FAMU guard Brandon Bryant got in on the long-range act, hitting two early 3-pointers out of halftime. A traditional three-point play by Twitty gave the Rattlers their largest lead to that point, at 50-36, with 16:29 remaining.
Howard, which was hurt in both halves by foul trouble to leading scorer Eugene Myatt, climbed back into the game behind Kyle Riley and Curtis White. White scored seven points in a 15-3 Bison run that brought them within 53-51 with 11:05 left.
But the Rattlers had an answer. Larry Jackson scored six straight points to extend the advantage back to eight. Howard would not get within six thereafter.
“It’s March Madness, and you’re going to have runs on both sides,” Harris said. “We didn’t get too high or too low. They made their run, and we made a run back at them.”
Jackson added 15 points and six rebounds for the Rattlers. Twitty led all players with eight boards as FAMU edged Howard on the glass, 31-26. Joe Ballard dished out a game-high eight assists.
“We did an outstanding job of rebounding tonight, and that was a big key,” Harris said. “We were able to contain Howard’s inside game with our defense.”
Riley had 20 points and White 16 for Howard. Myatt was held to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.
“He (Myatt) is a good player,” said Ballard, who had the task of guarding Myatt much of the game. “I think I did a pretty good job individually on him, but my teammates told me where my help was coming from.”