Photo Courtesy: Ashley Bryant
The Howard Bisons defeated the Lady Rattlers in the season opener 78 to 66. Both teams showcased their fast-paced offense early with both tossing threes and lay-ups. Junior Guard D’Mya Griffin came off the bench hot, shooting three of four from three early to force a Bison timeout midway in the first quarter. “After the first quarter, I felt like it was, hey, we FAMU women’s basketball, we’re here,” Griffin said.
Despite Griffin’s hot start, the Bison trio of Destiny Howell, Saniyah King, and Kaiya Creek stormed back to the end of the first, with Howard regaining the lead 26 to 23. Howell extended the Bison’s lead with 7:40 remaining. Meanwhile the Lady Rattlers faced a scoring drought halfway through the second quarter. Howard’s King and Howell took advantage of FAMU’s offensive slump to extend their lead.
Their playmaking ability to extend their lead as Howard entered the half up 47 to 37. Coach Gordon spoke about calming her team during the slump. “Just relax,” Gordon said. “They were nervous. We were trying to pipe the arena.”
FAMU guard Ivet Subirats started the third by snapping the offensive drought with a three. Howell, however, responded with one of her own. After the back-to-back threes by both sides, the Lady Rattlers continuously started get paint touches and found themselves on the free-throw line to ease back into the game.
FAMU’s defense turned into the offense as Griffin kept the Lady Rattlers in the game with two fast-break layups and a three to narrow the deficit to three points in the third, 55-52. The FAMU fan base cheered on the Rattlers’ late push, but the Bisons hung on to their lead with one quarter remaining, leading 62 to 56. FAMU forward Sydney Hendrix talked about their mindset entering the fourth.
“I think it was more of a moment that we had to come together because you could feel the fatigue,” Hendrix said. “It was more about learning how to push through it and come together, rather than playing hero ball or making mistakes because you’re more tired at the end of the game.” Coach Gordon and the Lady Rattlers kept turning up the pressure. With five minutes remaining, it was a tug-of-war match, as both teams were not allowing any easy buckets. Even as the Rattler fan base kept getting louder, the Bisons were able to finish and start their season with a win. Griffin led FAMU in scoring with 19 points, and Saige Glover finished the game with 14 points.
Griffin spoke about her first experience in Al-Lawson. “It was a great experience, of course, with my team behind me very grateful for them,” Griffin said. “Also, with the supporters. It was a great support system, the band and everyone else cheering.” Despite the outcome, Coach Gordon was impressed with her team’s effort in the season opener.
“I didn’t have to coach effort. The effort was definitely there,” Gordon said. “You don’t get eight offensive rebounds without effort. That was just dog.”
The Lady Rattlers will travel south to Gainesville to take on the University of Florida on Thursday, Nov. 7th, at 5 p.m.