TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --Tyler Shirley scored 23 points, but the Florida A&M men's basketball team fell to the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 63-61 at home Thursday.

Shirley added six rebounds to his 23 point game to lead the Rattlers (10-15, 7-7). Jaquan Sanders helped out with eight points and seven assists and Micah Octave chipped in with eight points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

Florida A&M grabbed 31 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Alabama A&M's 29, led by Octave's 10 boards. The Rattlers also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 10 rebounds into six second chance points.

Florida A&M forced 13 Alabama A&M turnovers while committing 12 themselves in Thursday's game. The Rattlers turned those takeaways into 11 points on the other end of the floor. Kaleb Washington led the way individually with three steals.

How It Happened

After falling behind 13-4, Florida A&M went on a 6-0 run with 13:42 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Shirley, to narrow its deficit to 13-10. The Rattlers continued to narrow the gap and tied the game at 31-31 heading into halftime. Florida A&M got a boost from behind the arc in the period, hitting five shots to account for 15 of its 31 points.

Alabama A&M broke the tie, edging ahead in the second half and leaving Florida A&M behind 63-61 at the final buzzer. Florida A&M shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting five shots from deep to score 15 of its 30 points.

Game Notes

» Florida A&M found success from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 treys in the game.

» Florida A&M lost despite a 31-29 rebounding advantage.

» The Florida A&M defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Florida A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Tyler Shirley led the Rattlers with 23 points.
» Florida A&M got a game-high 10 rebounds from Micah Octave.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.