SC State Holds Off Florida A&M 78-69
3/2/2009 9:18:40 PM
ORANGEBURG, SC— Sophomore guard Carrio Bennett tossed in a season-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds while junior guard/forward Jason Flagler chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds as South Carolina State defeated Florida A&M 78-69 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play Monday.
The Bulldogs secured their first winning season in three years with the victory.
FAMU was led by David Buchanon with 18 points and Dale Hughes tossed in 14 in the loss.
South Carolina State jumped out to a quick seven point lead, 27-20 off a layup by senior Josh Jackson at the 8:32 mark in the first-half. A layup by Jason Johnson with 4:02 left in the half gave the Bulldogs a 13 point advantage, 36-23.
FAMU battled back to cut the lead to two, 37-35 with 0:35 seconds left off a 3-pointer by David Buchanon. South Carolina State closed out the half with a 38-35 lead.
The Bulldogs too control of the second-half jumping ahead by 13, 71-58 on a layup by Jason Flagler. Sophomore guard Carrio Bennett sealed the victory nailing a 3-pointer with 3:33 left in the game to SC State the lead 74-60.
South Carolina State out-rebounded FAMU 49-22 and cruised to a 78-69. The Bulldogs improved to 15-13 overall, 10-6 in the league, while the Rattlers dropped to 7-20 overall, 5-9 in the conference.
Senior Josh Jackson poured in 13 points, while Jessie Burton and Jimmy Williams each had 11 in the win for SC State. FAMU’s Brandon Bryant added 12 in the loss.
South Carolina will close out the regular season in a non-conference matchup against Winston-Salem State on Thursday in a 7:30 tip-off.
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