Florida A&M

Rattlers look for first SWAC win of season at Southern on Saturday

1/10/2025 4:15:00 PM

BATON ROUGE, La. –– The Florida A&M Rattlers (3-9, 0-1 SWAC) look to bounce back from a tough conference-opening loss when they travel to face the Southern Jaguars (7-8, 2-0 SWAC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern.

FAMU enters on a three-game skid after falling 62-55 to Bethune-Cookman in their SWAC opener. The Rattlers will need to improve their offensive efficiency against a Southern team that has won three straight, including conference victories over Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.

Key Players to Watch
- Sterling Young leads FAMU with 12.1 points per game while shooting a team-best 78.3% from the free throw line
- Milton Matthews has emerged as a perimeter threat, ranking second in the SWAC with 96 three-point attempts
- Shaqir O'Neal provides inside presence, averaging 9.2 points and shooting 50% from the field

The Rattlers will have their hands full with Southern's balanced attack. The Jaguars feature six players averaging 8-11 points per game, led by Jordan Johnson's 10.5 PPG. Southern also excels at creating turnovers, ranking 5th nationally with 10.5 steals per game.

Keys for FAMU
- Take care of the basketball - The Rattlers average 15.1 turnovers per game while Southern thrives off opponent mistakes
- Find offensive rhythm - FAMU is shooting just 41.5% from the field this season
- Control the glass - Southern holds a +3.7 rebounding margin while FAMU is -5.9 in that category

This marks the first meeting between these teams this season. FAMU will look to secure their first conference win while trying to hand Southern their first SWAC loss of the year.

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