ITTA BENA, Miss. -- Shaniyah McCarthy collected 23 points and Tahnyjia Purifoy added 22 and the Florida A&M women's basketball team took down the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 88-74 on the road Thursday.
McCarthy and Purifoy's stellar scoring performances led the Rattlers (4-11, 3-1) in the contest. McCarthy tacked on eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals and Purifoy added eight assists and two steals. Miya Giles-Jones also helped out with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Florida A&M took advantage of fantastic ball movement in Thursday's game, piling up 18 assists on 28 made field goals. Purifoy's eight assists were the most for the Rattlers.
Florida A&M forced 20 Mississippi Valley State turnovers while committing 17 themselves in Thursday's game. The Rattlers turned those takeaways into 21 points on the other end of the floor. McCarthy's two steals led the way for Florida A&M.
How It Happened
Florida A&M started off strong, putting together a 19-17 lead heading into the second quarter. Florida A&M did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 19 points close to the basket.
Mississippi Valley State rallied to take a 35-21 lead before Florida A&M went on a 6-0 run starting at the 3:11 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Camille Jackson, to narrow its deficit to 35-27. The Rattlers continued to chip away, reducing the Mississippi Valley State lead to 39-34 heading into the break.
After intermission, Florida A&M rallied to tie it up at 49-49 before going on a 10-0 run to grab a 59-49 lead with 2:02 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Rattlers added one point to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 63-52 edge. Florida A&M scored six fast break points in the quarter.
Florida A&M kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 85-70 with 1:16 to go in the contest. The Devilettes narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Rattlers still cruised the rest of the way for the 88-74 win. Florida A&M took advantage of six Mississippi Valley State turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» Florida A&M recorded 18 total assists in the game.
» Florida A&M had a 42-38 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Florida A&M defense forced 20 turnovers.
» Florida A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Shaniyah McCarthy had a game-high 23 points and Tahnyjia Purifoy added 22.
» Florida A&M got a game-high eight rebounds from both Shaniyah McCarthy and Miya Giles-Jones.
