BATON ROUGE, La. – Tyler Shirley turned in a dominant 25-point performance to lead Florida A&M to an impressive 82-71 road win over Southern on Thursday night. Shirley added nine rebounds and two blocks, anchoring the Rattlers on both ends of the floor. Jordan Chatman posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Micah Octave contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steals to round out a balanced offensive attack.
Florida A&M made its presence felt on the glass, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds, with Chatman pulling down three on his own. Defensively, the Rattlers were sharp and disciplined, holding Southern to 37.3 percent shooting and limiting Cam Amboree to 3-of-13 from the field. Florida A&M also controlled the defensive boards with 29 rebounds, allowing just nine offensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After falling behind 30-24, Florida A&M went on a 6-0 run with 2:22 left in the first half, adding a bucket from Shirley to tie the game at 30. Southern then pulled ahead, sending the Rattlers into halftime down 33-32.
Florida A&M came out of halftime clicking on all cylinders, going on a 7-0 run to seize a 39-33 lead with 16:43 to go in the game. The Rattlers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 82-71 win. Florida A&M got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 13 of its 50 total points.
Game Notes
- Jordan Chatman notched a double-double for the Rattlers with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
- The Rattlers held the Jaguars to only 37.3 percent shooting from the field.
- Jaquan Sanders recorded 10 assists for Florida A&M.
- Florida A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
- Tyler Shirley led the Rattlers with a game-high 25 points.
