Greensboro, N.C.| Junior guard, MJ Randolph, notched his second double-double of the season as Florida A&M (2-8, 1-2 MEAC) suffered a 67-65 defeat to North Carolina A&T (8-9, 5-0 MEAC) on Sunday afternoon.
 
Randolph scored 20 points with 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the losing effort.
 
Three other Rattlers scored in double-figures. DJ Jones added 15 points, Jalen Speer contributed 13 points and Bryce Moragne scored 10 points.
 
The Rattlers, who led by as many as 24 points, carried a 42-23 lead into halftime. The Aggies, however, outscored FAMU 44-23 in the second period to claim victory. 
 
A&T's Kameron Langley tallied another double-double, scoring 13 points with 10 assists, three rebounds and one steal. 
 
For the contest, FAMU went 23-of-57 from the field (40.4 percent), but struggled from behind the arch, only connecting on 16.7 percent of its attempts (3-of-18). 
 
A&T shot 52.9 percent from the floor (27-of-51) and 42.1 percent from three-point range (8-of-19).
 
How It Happened 
 
It was a tale of two halves.
 
The Rattlers jumped on top of the Aggies early and often in the first.
 
FAMU opened the game on a 14-4 run thanks to timely shooting and a host of Aggie turnovers. 
 
The Rattlers really began to distance themselves from A&T, starting with jumper by Randolph to give the FAMU a 19-11 lead with 11:03 left in the first half. 
 
Senior forward, DJ Jones, showed his ability light up the scoreboard, sinking three jumpers in a row to stretch the Rattler advantage to 27-11 with 8:03 left in the first period. 
 
FAMU continued to crank up the pressure the defensive end, harassing Aggie players and forcing 15 first half turnovers.
 
The Rattlers built its largest lead of the contest, 40-16, thanks to a Jalen Speer steal and lay-up with 3:34 left in the half.
 
In the first half, Florida A&M shot a remarkable 48.5 percent from the field.
 
However, the second was all Aggies.  
 
A&T opened the second half with a 28-6 run to claim their first lead of the game, 51-50, with 10:18 left the play.
 
The Aggies built a 58-51 lead on a Kenyon Duling three-pointer with 6:17 left to play.
 
The Rattlers didn't go away quietly, however. Speer put the Rattlers back on top with 31 seconds left in the second period, draining a deep triple to give FAMU a 65-64 lead.
 
A&T's Blake Harris answered back with a three-pointer of his own, with 10 seconds left to give the Aggies 67-65 lead.
 
The Rattlers had one more chance to win the game, but a three-point attempt Kameron Reaves bounced off of the back of the rim as time expired, preserving the victory from the Aggies.
 
In the second half, FAMU was held to just 29.2 percent shooting, connecting on just 7-of-24 attempts, while A&T went 19-of-31 from the field (61.3 percent). 
 
Inside the Numbers
> FAMU shot 40.4 percent from the field (23-of-57) 
> A&T shot 52.9 percent from the field (27-of-51)
> FAMU shot 16.9 percent from three-point range (3-of-18)
> A&T shot 42.1 percent from three-point range (8-of-19)
> FAMU went 16-of-25 on free throw attempts (64.0 percent)
> A&T went 5-of-10 on free throw attempts (50.0 percent)
> FAMU out-rebounded A&T 36-31. FAMU snagged 16 offensive rebounds while A&T grabbed 7
> FAMU led for 29:41. The Rattlers' largest lead was 24 (41-16)
> Both teams scored 10 second-chance points 
> A&T's bench outscored FAMU's bench 25-3
> FAMU scored 19 points off Aggie turnovers (21)
> A&T scored 20 points off of FAMU turnovers (16)


 
Up Next
Florida A&M travels back to the Tar Heel state Feb. 6 and 7 to square off against defending MEAC champion, North Carolina Central. Tip-off for both contests is set for 2 p.m.