Women's Basketball 1/29/2008 5:00:00 AM MEAC Media Relations

Lady Hornets Second Half Run Trips FAMU, 50-40

Delaware State outscored Florida A&M in the second half to overtake the Lady Rattlers for a 50-40 MEAC victory Monday evening in Gaither Gym.

Delaware State (9-10, 4-1 in MEAC) trailed 21-20 at the break, but shot 54.2 percent (13- of-24) from the field in the second half to outscore FAMU, 30-19.

The Lady Rattlers built their slim halftime lead by shooting 43.5 percent from the floor to 38.1 percent for Delaware State, but managed to shoot just 30 percent (9-of -30) in the final stanza.

Delaware State outscored FAMU, 13-2 to vault ahead by 10 points, 33-23 on a Keyhana Wakefield lay-up with 12:16 left, never looking back after that.

The Lady Hornets’ lead grew to 16 points, 41-25 with 9:59 left, before FAMU managed to cut that lead in half with a 15-7 run of their own.

Taniyah Dawson’s jumper with 1:42 left capped the FAMU rally, pulling them within eight points, 48-40.

FAMU could get no closer as they missed five shots and turned the ball over twice in the final moments of the game.

Raquel Collier led Delaware State with 12 points, followed by Keyhana Wakefield with 10 points. Katreem Palmer added nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds Monday for the Lady Hornets.

Thyeis Halley led FAMU with 12 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, while Stephanie Foster finished with 10 points. Q’Vaunda Curry added eight points, Taniyah Dawson scored six points and Joslyne Jackson rounded out the FAMU scoring group with four points.

Monday’s loss was the eighth straight for Florida A&M (9-9, 1-6 in MEAC), which got off to a record-tying 9-1 start prior to the Christmas break.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Lady Rattlers hit the road for a two-game set in the Carolinas this weekend, stopping first at Winston-Salem State on Saturday afternoon, before heading south to Orangeburg for a conference bout against South Carolina State on Monday.