Florida A&M basketball is at Jackson State for a Southwestern Athletic Conference doubleheader.
The Lady Rattlers (7-15, 6-5 SWAC) will tip off against the Tigers (16-6, 11-0 SWAC) at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
FAMU men’s basketball (4-18, 2-9 SWAC) versus JSU (10-14, 6-5 SWAC) follows at 6:30 p.m.
The Rattlers-Tiger doubleheader is at Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center and can be watched on Jackson State Sports Network.
FAMU women’s basketball is on a three-game winning streak after hosting and defeating Prairie View A&M 71-63 last Monday, moving them to No. 5 in the SWAC standings. The Rattlers have secured their most consecutive victories since the 2016-2017 season.
“We need to be playing our best basketball at this time. And we are,” Rattlers head coach Bridgette Gordon said on the FAMU’s Coaches Show.
“It’s giving the young ladies confidence and they’re trusting the system even more if we withhold the race.”
Rattlers graduate student guard Ahriahna Grizzle continues to impress as she earned her third straight SWAC Player of the Week, leading the league in scoring with 19.7 points per game. Grizzle has scored 20-plus points in 12 of FAMU’s 22 games.
🚨 𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗖 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 🚨
Ahriahna Grizzle named the SWAC Player of the Week for the third week in a row.
Grizzle averaged 29 points, 3.5 steals, and 3 assists in the wins vs. Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.#FAMU | #Rattlers | #PRESSURE pic.twitter.com/ACOXqEEtzb
— Florida A&M Women’s Basketball 🏀 (@FAMU_WBB) February 13, 2024
Meanwhile, FAMU men’s basketball has dropped four straight games, its most recent loss being to Prairie View A&M, with a score of 61-58.
The Rattlers are ranked 11th in the SWAC and three games out of the logjammed playoff picture for the league’s eight-team postseason tournament.
“There’s a realistic chance,” FAMU head coach Robert McCullum said of the Rattlers playoff hopes. “Worst case scenario, we got to split this weekend.”
A win for FAMU on Saturday would be its first one of February.
Notes on Jackson State Basketball
JSU basketball traveled to Arkansas Pine-Bluff and left, securing a sweep in the SWAC doubleheader.
The Lady Tigers defeated the Golden Lions 72-56. JSU men’s basketball beat UAPB 76-63.
FAMU and JSU last met at the Al Lawson Center, which ended in a doubleheader split.
The Lady Rattlers lost to the Tigers 79-60. FAMU men’s basketball beat JSU 88-86.
JSU women’s basketball is the lone unbeaten team in SWAC play and atop the league’s standings. The Tigers, led by head coach Tomekia Reed, won the last three SWAC regular season titles and prevailed in the conference tournaments in 2021 and 2022.
The men’s Tigers team, head coached by former NBA all-star Mo Williams, has won two consecutive games to end a four-game skid.
JSU is sixth in the SWAC standings.
Tigers guard Ken Evans Jr. is second in SWAC scoring with 18.3 points per game.
How to Watch: Florida A&M at Jackson State SWAC Basketball Doubleheader
When: Saturday at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ― EASTERN TIME
Where: Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center; Jackson, Mississippi
Streaming: Jackson State Sports Network
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Basketball: Rattlers at Jackson State for SWAC games | Preview
