Next Game:
at Mississippi Valley State
1/15/2026 | 8 PM EST
Jan. 15 (Thu) / 8 PM EST
at Mississippi Valley State
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –The Florida A&M women’s basketball team rallied from a 47-44 deficit after the third quarter to defeat the Southern Jaguars 60-57 at home Saturday.
The Rattlers (3-11, 2-1) had two players score in double figures, led by Tahnyjia Purifoy, who had 21 points, four assists and three steals. Shaniyah McCarthy added 10 points and seven rebounds and Camille Jackson added eight points, four assists and two steals.
Miya Giles-Jones pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Florida A&M, grabbing 11 boards and turning them into seven second chance points.
The Florida A&M defense held Southern shooters to just 34.4 percent from the field, including 25 percent from three-point range. The Rattlers also kept Jaylia Reed to 3-of-13 shooting and nine points in the game.
How It Happened
After falling behind 4-3, Florida A&M went on a 5-0 run with 4:26 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Purifoy, to take an 8-4 lead. The Rattlers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 13-12.
Florida A&M then started off the second quarter by going on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Aina Subirats, to take an 18-13 lead. The Jaguars then came roaring back to take a 31-28 lead heading into halftime.
Southern continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 47-39 advantage before Florida A&M went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Jackson, to trim its deficit to 47-44 with 33 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Florida A&M played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.
Southern kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 52-48 advantage before Florida A&M went on an 8-0 run to seize a 56-52 lead with 1:08 to go in the contest. The Jaguars narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Rattlers still held on for the 60-57 win. Florida A&M took advantage of five Southern turnovers in the quarter, scoring four points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Rattlers rallied from a three-point 47-44 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» The Rattlers held the Jaguars to only 34.4 percent shooting from the field.
» The Florida A&M defense forced 19 turnovers.
» Florida A&M cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Tahnyjia Purifoy led the Rattlers with a game-high 21 points.
» Florida A&M got a team-high 7 rebounds from Shaniyah McCarthy.