Is Florida A&M men’s basketball getting hot at the right time?
The Rattlers won their third straight game, 66-59, against the team’s former head coach, Patrick Crarey II, and the Grambling State Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
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The triumph moved the Charlie Ward-coached Rattlers from No. 6 to No. 2 among 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference teams, putting them in a good position to get a double-round bye when the league’s tournament starts on Monday, March 9.
FAMU (13-15, 10-7 in SWAC) built a 30-17 halftime lead over the Tigers (12-17, 6-10 in SWAC), giving it a cushion to finish them off.
FAMU guard Jaquan Sanders led the Rattlers with 16 points. Antonio Baker and Miles Ndalama chipped in 12 apiece.
FAMU men’s basketball win came after the women’s basketball team lost its sixth straight game, falling to Grambling State 79-65 to open Saturday’s SWAC doubleheader.
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Next for FAMU is a big-time regular-season finale hosting rivals and SWAC regular-season champions Bethune-Cookman (17-13, 14-3 in SWAC), which has won four straight.
Last time these teams met was the SWAC opener when the Wildcats bested the Rattlers 87-83 in Daytona Beach on Jan. 3.
Florida A&M Rattlers guard Antonio Baker Jr. handles the basketball during a NCAA game versus the Albany State Golden Rams at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. The Rattlers defeated the Golden Rams 93-77.
FAMU versus Bethune-Cookman at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, for the men. The women’s team will play beforehand at 5 p.m.
HBCU GO will televise the games.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU basketball defeats Grambling before big finale vs Bethune-Cookman