GAINESVILLE, Fla. --The Florida A&M women's basketball team got a 22-point showing from the bench, but fell 76-51 to the Florida Gators on the road Wednesday.
The Rattlers (0-9) had two players score in double figures, led by Cornelia Ellington, who had 13 points and two steals. Camille Jackson tacked on 12 points and Tahnyjia Purifoy added five points, eight assists and two steals.
Brooklyn Swann pulled down two offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Florida A&M, grabbing 10 boards and turning them into eight second chance points.
The Florida A&M defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Wednesday's game, forcing 21 Florida turnovers while committing 18. Those takeaways turned into 19 points on the other end of the floor. Swann led the way individually for the Rattlers with three steals.
How It Happened
After playing to a 5-5 tie early in the game, Florida A&M went on a 6-0 run with 6:54 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Swann, to take an 11-5 lead. The Rattlers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 19-14 advantage. Florida A&M capitalized on six Florida turnovers in the period, turning them into six points on the other end of the floor.
The Rattlers could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 38-26.
Florida A&M's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Rattlers faced a 55-40 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Florida A&M knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 14 total points.
Florida A&M could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 76-51. Florida A&M took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring six of its 11 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Florida A&M bench came alive by adding 22 points to its scoring output.
» The Florida A&M defense forced 21 turnovers.
» Florida A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Cornelia Ellington led the Rattlers with 13 points.
» Florida A&M got a team-high five rebounds from Brooklyn Swann.
