TALLAHASSEE, FL - Bethune-Cookman men's basketball has reached the end of the regular season as it faces one final test against Florida A&M at the Al Lawson Center. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. as the Wildcats look to pick up their 15th conference victory.


Thursday, March 5
Opponent: Florida A&M (13-15, 10-7)
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Al Lawson Center
Watch: https://hbcugo.tv/Live%20TV
Live Stats: https://famuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

1^st Half
Southern (13-16, 9-7) opened with early momentum, jumping out to a 17-11 lead behind a pair of 3-pointers from AJ Barnes and five quick assists from Cam Amboree.

Bethune-Cookman (17-13, 14-3) answered midway through the half. Trailing 19-18, the Wildcats ignited a 13-0 run over a three-minute stretch, turning a one-point deficit into a 32-19 advantage. Jakobi Heady sparked the surge with a dunk and a fast-break layup, while Jordan Johnson added a transition bucket and Arterio Morris finished inside the paint. The Wildcats forced four turnovers during the stretch and converted them into easy baskets.

Johnson's 3-pointer at the 4:44 mark extended the margin to 39-24, and Bethune-Cookman continued to capitalize in transition, finishing the half with 17 fast-break points.

Southern trimmed the deficit to eight behind late 3-pointers from Amboree and Fazl Oshodi, but the Wildcats closed the period strong at the free-throw line. Jakobi Heady went 4-for-4 at the stripe in the final 1:11, and Quentin Heady added two free throws to send Bethune-Cookman into the locker room with a 49-39 lead.

The Wildcats shot 51.6 percent (16-of-31) in the opening half and were perfect at the foul line (14-for-14).

2^nd Half
Southern opened the second half on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to five, highlighted by a dunk from Terrance Dixon Jr. and a 3-pointer from Amboree.

The Jaguars eventually erased the deficit midway through the half. After Amboree connected from deep at the 13:48 mark, Southern grabbed its first lead since early in the game at 58-57 on a layup by Oshodi with 13:21 remaining. A quick 6-0 run pushed the Jaguars in front 62-59.

Bethune-Cookman responded behind Arterio Morris and Jakobi Heady. Morris scored on consecutive drives, and Heady converted four key free throws to help the Wildcats regain control. A Daniel Rouzan layup at the 9:03 mark stretched the lead back to five at 69-64.

Southern continued to pressure, cutting the margin to one possession several times. Dixon Jr.'s tip-in with 43 seconds remaining pulled the Jaguars within 82-79.

From there, the Wildcats' defense held firm. Southern misfired on a potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds, allowing Bethune-Cookman to escape with the three-point win.

The Florida A&M Rattlers are 10-7 in the SWAC, currently ranking as the conference's fourth seed. They are in the midst of a three-game winning streak, with victories over Alabama State, Southern, and Grambling State. Overall, FAMU is 7-4 at home this season.

Tyler Shirley narrowly leads the Rattlers in scoring at 11.7 points per game, with Jaquan Sanders right behind him at 11.5. Shirley has had some stellar scoring performances in conference play, scoring 20+ points on three occasions.

The Rattlers rank as a middle-of-the-pack SWAC team in most statistical categories. One area they have struggled this season is at the free-throw line, ranking last in free-throw percentage.



The Wildcats are currently on a seven-game winning streak against Florida A&M dating back to 2022. But the Rattlers still lead the all-time series 99-78.


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