Norfolk, Va. | It's been two years since Florida A&M competed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Basketball Tournament, and the much-anticipated return resulted in a heartbreaking 77-75 loss to Morgan State Thursday (March 11). 
 
The Rattlers sat in the driver's seat for a majority of the MEAC semifinal -- leading by as many as 12 points -- but a slow stretch at the start of the second sealed the decision. 
 
Freshman Jalen Speer finished the night with a team-high 18 points and was joined in double-digits by MJ Randolph (17), Bryce Moragne (11), and DJ Jones (10). Moragne also added a game-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. 
 
Jones' first points of the afternoon quickly spiraled into six of the team's first eight. The redshirt-senior forward capped FAMU's 8-7 lead (15:32) with a dunk, and the Rattlers held their weight from there. Their defense held Morgan State without a field goal for nearly four minutes while the offense embarked on a 7-0 run. 
 
Florida A&M was highly effective from the floor in the opening period -- outshooting the Bears' 54.5 percent to 33.3 -- but the tide began to turn at the start of the second. Cold shooting turned its 39-30 halftime lead into a 46-44 deficit with 14:47 remaining, and it was unable to regain the upper hand. 
 
With nine seconds left, Speer made it a one-point ballgame on a perfect two-for-two trip to the free throw line, and the Rattlers went for a last-second 3-point attempt that narrowly missed. 
 
They conclude their 2020-21 season 8-12 overall with a 7-5 mark in conference play.