ITTA BENA, Mss. (Dec. 6) – Ayonna Cotton's three-pointer with one second left, lifted her Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils past visiting Florida A&M, 71-70 in a late morning non-conference game at the Stribling-Harris Center Friday.
Sophomore Jasmine Ballew was on fire for FAMU (2-5) Friday, leading all scorers with 21 points, 18 coming in a fast-paced second half. She splashed five of six three-point tries, nailing a perfect 4-for-4 in the final two quarters.
Regan Anderson hit four of nine shots from distance, finishing with 14 points, while Alaina Rice knocked down a trio of triples, in five attempts, ending the day with 13 points, three assists and three steals.
Kayla Massop led FAMU with eight rebounds to go with four blocked shots and two steals, while Shalunda Burney Robinson finished with six points and three rebounds.
Diamond Wraggs led the Delta Devils (1-6) with a 14-point, 11-rebound double double Friday. Ayonna Cotton added 13 points, scoring MVSU's final six points, followed by Erin Smith with 12 points, and Shelli Thigpen with 11 rebounds.
Valley and FAMU played nip-and-tuck the entire game, with the Delta Devils up by two, 16-14 after one, and the Rattlers outpacing their hosts, 18-15 in the second, to grab a 32-31 halftime lead.
The Rattlers edged MVSU, 16-14 in the third to extend their lead to 48-45 after three quarters, but the Delta Devils used a 26-22 closing surge to nip FAMU.
Rice's three-pointer with 1:37 left broke a 61-61 tie, putting the Rattlers ahead, 64-61, setting the stage for the final ninety seconds of nail-biting action.
Ballew splashed her fourth three-pointer of the half with 14 seconds left to push FAMU ahead, 69-65, but Ayonna Cotten was fouled attempting a three-pointer with six seconds left. She cashed in all three charity tosses, pulling MVSU to within one points, at 69-68.
Kailya Jackson sank the second of two foul shots for FAMU, to give the Rattlers a 70-68 edge with five seconds left, before Cotten splashed a triple with one second left for the win.
WHAT'S NEXT: FAMU (2-5) will head south to Lorman, Miss., for a Sunday matinee (3:00 p.m.) against the Alcorn State Braves.