Norman records double-double in loss to Florida A&M
By SSU Athletics
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Savannah State junior Jasmine Norman recorded her second career double-double Monday evening in a 72-78 loss to Florida A&M, in Tallahassee, FL. Norman led the Lady Tigers with 17 points and grabbed 12 boards. Her first double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) came against Bethune-Cookman in Feb. of 2013.
Jasmine Kirkland racked up 14 points and 9 rebounds for the Lady Tigers. SSU falls to 13-10 overall on the season and 6-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). With the loss, SSU drops to fourth place in the MEAC. Florida A&M improves to 11-11 and 5-4 in the conference.
Jasmine Grice led the field with 34 points for the Lady Rattlers, while Taneka Rubin tacked on 10. SSU opened the game on a 4-0 run, but FAMU responded quickly, taking a 13-6 lead with 15:22 to play in the opening half. With 2:36 to play, FAMU’s Kimberly Sparkman drained a 3-pointer to lift the home team to their largest lead, 38-28, of the game. In the final two minutes of the opening half, SSU rebounded with an 11-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer from Kenyata Hendrix. With 4 seconds on the clock, freshman Rhianna Warren sank a 3-pointer to give SSU a 39-38 lead into the locker room. SSU shot 51.5 percent from the floor in the first half, while FAMU shot at a 50.0 percent clip and 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from beyond the arch.
The Lady Tigers opened the second half with a 4-0 run, but FAMU, again, quickly responded, tying the game up at the 17:31 mark at 43 all. In the subsequent four minutes, SSU went on an 11-0 run, with five of the points coming from Kirkland for a 54-43 advantage. FAMU fired back with a 9-0 run to cut SSU’s lead to 56-54 with 10:04 to play.
Grice scored six of the run’s points. After a back-and-forth rumble over the following five minutes, Rubin sank two good free-throws with 5:05 to play, lifting the Lady Rattlers to a 67-66 lead.
The home team would not relinquish their lead down the stretch, despite SSU getting within two points behind a layup from Norman with 4:17 on the clock. SSU ended with a 43.9 percent (26-for-66) shooting clip from the floor and 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the charity strip. FAMU shot 38.5 percent from the floor, but banged in 70.0 percent (21-of-30) of their free offerings. The Lady Tigers end a three-game road stretch with a trip to Delaware State on February 10. Tipoff in Dover, Delaware is set for 2 p.m. SSU returns home on February 15 to take on No. 3 North Carolina A&T State in Tiger Arena.
