{"id":173840,"date":"2026-03-01T13:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T13:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/173840\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T13:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T13:03:09","slug":"famu-basketball-wins-third-straight-big-finale-vs-bethune-cookman-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/173840\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU basketball wins third straight, big finale vs Bethune-Cookman next"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is Florida A&M<\/a> men\u2019s basketball getting hot at the right time?<\/p>\n

The Rattlers<\/a> won their third straight game, 66-59, against the team\u2019s former head coach, Patrick Crarey II<\/a>, and the Grambling State Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.<\/p>\n

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The triumph moved the Charlie Ward-coached Rattlers <\/a>from No. 6 to No. 2 among 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference teams<\/a>, putting them in a good position to get a double-round bye when the league\u2019s tournament starts on Monday, March 9.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

FAMU guard Jaquan Sanders led the Rattlers with 16 points. Antonio Baker and Miles Ndalama chipped in 12 apiece.<\/p>\n

FAMU men\u2019s basketball win came after the women\u2019s basketball team lost its sixth straight game, falling to Grambling State 79-65 to open Saturday\u2019s SWAC doubleheader.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Last time these teams met was the SWAC opener when the Wildcats bested the Rattlers 87-83<\/a> in Daytona Beach on Jan. 3.<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s team will play beforehand at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n

HBCU GO will televise the games.<\/p>\n

Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the\u00a0Florida A&M Rattlers<\/a>\u00a0at the Tallahassee Democrat.<\/p>\n

Follow his award-winning coverage on\u00a0RattlerNews.com<\/a>\u00a0and contact him via email at\u00a0GDThomas@Tallahassee.com<\/a>\u00a0or on the app formerly known as Twitter\u00a0@3peatgee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU basketball defeats Grambling before big finale vs Bethune-Cookman<\/a><\/p>\n