ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida A&M Women's Basketball opens the 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday, November 3, as the Rattlers travel to UCF for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off at Addition Financial Arena.
What: Game One
Who: Florida A&M (0-0) at UCF (0-0)
When: Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. – Addition Financial Arena (10,000)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Click Here
Tickets: Purchase Tickets Online
IN THE RANKINGS
? Florida A&M is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
? UCF is not ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Florida A&M Women's Basketball this season by following the Rattlers social media platforms. You can follow
@FAMUWBB on Instagram and
@FAMU_WBB on X/Twitter.
NEWS & NOTES
? Head Coach
Bridgette Gordon is entering into her fourth year at the helm of the Rattlers program.
? Florida A&M played an exhibition game at Tennessee last week, where Gordon starred for the Lady Vols before turning pro after graduation.
? Ten of the 15 players on the 2026-27 roster played at previous schools before arriving to Tallahassee. Giles-Jones (Fordham),
Persais Williams (Winthrop),
Rose Jamison (Bellarmine),
Kamryn Grant (Dayton) and
Breasia Coit (Livingstone) all came in from four-year institutions.
? For the Rattlers, they will play seven (7) games inside the friendly confines of Al Lawson Center during the nonconference portion of the schedule, with key matchups against Florida Gulf Coast and South Carolina State, respectfully.
? FAMU will play each of UCF (Nov. 3), Florida State (Nov. 8), Alabama (Nov. 19), Stetson (Dec. 1), FGCU (Dec. 6) and Florida (Dec. 22) for other nonconference games.
?
Shaniyah McCarthy is the top returning scorer for the Rattlers returning from last season's team, having turned in 378 points (12.6 ppg) across the 2025-26 campaign.
? Seniors
Tahnyjia Purifoy and McCarthy were each named to the Preseason All-SWAC First Team.
? As a team, FANMU was predicted to finish seventh in the SWAC Preseason poll.
FAMU VS. UCF SERIES
? UCF holds a 4-0 advantage in the series with records going back to 2011.
? All four games since 2011 have taken place at UCF.
? The last meeting between the two sides was a 76-59 setback for the Orange and Green on November 21, 2025.
? Prior to that, the Knights claimed an 80-55 win from the Rattlers on November 24, 2024.
SCOUTING UCF
? The Knights will enter the 2026-27 season with a new face at the helm, with head coach Gabe Lazo being named the head coach of Women's Basketball in April. UCF marks Lazo's first stop as a head coach, adding onto his has 10 years of coaching experience.
? The Knights roster boasts five international student-athletes in Maria Cintas (Spain), Salome Boyomo Keedi (France), Candace Kpetikou (Niger), Felicia Scholander (Sweden) and Vittoria Blasigh (Italy).
? The Knights will feature seven of their first eight games of the season at Addition Financial Arena to kick off the season.
? Senior Vittoria Blasigh and redshirt junior Candace Kpetikou joined UCF this offseason, both making the journey up from the University of Miami. The former Hurricanes turned Knights played in 31 games together a season ago with Blasigh averaging 6.7 points per game and Kpetikou earning a 43.5 clip shooting from the field.
UP NEXT
The Rattlers will stay in the city of Tallahassee when traveling to face Florida State for a nonconference showdown set for Sunday, November 8, at 2 p.m.
Follow Florida A&M Athletics on Twitter (
@FAMUathletics) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (
@FAMUathletics) and Facebook (
FAMUath)
for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Rattlers Athletics.
