ORANGEBURG, SC—The South Carolina State men's and women's basketball teams look to bounce back Monday (Feb. 18^th ), when they host Florida A&M in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

Tip-off for the women is 5:30 p.m., followed by the men in a 7:30 p.m. start. South Carolina State will be celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness with the "Think Pink" game.

Last timeout the Bulldogs suffered a tough 73-98 setback to visiting Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. Junior forward Damani Applewhite led the way with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Applewhite is the leader for South Carolina State at 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

The Rattlers (11-16 overall, 8-4 MEAC/3rd) knocked off Savannah State 78-74. Justin Ravenel led the way with a team-high 26 points in the win. Ravenel leads the way for FAMU with 16.0 ppg.

On the women's side, the Lady Bulldogs (12-13 overall, 5-6 overall) dropped a close 64-69 loss to the Lady Wildcats. Senior guard Rhein Beamon tossed in a team-high 16 points in the loss. Meanwhile, the Lady Rattlers (4-20 overall, 2-10 MEAC) defeated Savannah State 60-55 with Mya Moye leading the way with 14 points.

Junior forward Taylor Brown averages 13.7 ppg and 8.6 rebounds, while Beamon adds 11.1 points and 4.5 rebounds for SCSU.

Next up South Carolina State heads to the tobacco state to take on North Carolina A&T in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader in Greensboro, NC. Tipoff for the women is 2 pm, followed by the men in a 4 pm start.

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.