GAINESVILLE, Fla. –– The Florida A&M women's basketball team got a 36-point showing from the bench, but fell 102-67 to the Florida Gators on the road Thursday.
The Rattlers (0-2) had four players score in double figures, led by Sydney Hendrix, who had 20 points and six rebounds. Olivia Delancy added 14 points off the bench and Cheyenne McEvans chipped in as well with 14 points and eight rebounds off of the bench.
Led by Sabou Gueye's two offensive rebounds, Florida A&M did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in five second chance points.
Florida A&M forced 15 Florida turnovers. The Rattlers turned those takeaways into 13 points on the offensive end of the floor. Gueye led the way individually with one steal.
How It Happened
After falling behind 9-0, Florida A&M went on a 9-0 run with 6:34 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Tahnyjia Purifoy, to tie the game at nine. Florida then pulled ahead, sending the Rattlers into the second quarter down 23-17.
The Rattlers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 47-28 halftime deficit.
Florida A&M's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Rattlers faced a 74-46 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Florida A&M played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 18 points in the paint.
Florida kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 100-60 advantage before Florida A&M went on a 5-0 run to shrink the deficit to 100-65 with 1:13 to go in the contest. The Rattlers were unable to cut further into the deficit by the end of the game, losing 102-67. Florida A&M got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring 14 of its 21 total points.
Game Notes
» The Florida A&M bench came alive by adding 36 points to its scoring output.
» Olivia Delancy and Cheyenne McEvans came off the bench to score 14 points apiece.
» The Florida A&M defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Florida A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Sydney Hendrix led the Rattlers with 20 points.
» Florida A&M got a team-high eight rebounds from Cheyenne McEvans.
----
Follow Florida A&M Athletics
For complete coverage of Florida A&M athletics, download the official Florida A&M Rattler app and follow the Rattlers on social media at @FAMUAthletics (X), FAMUAth (Facebook), and @famuathletics (Instagram).
