South Carolina State staged a furious second half rally here Monday evening to vault past homestanding Florida A&M, 67-59 in a MEAC women’s basketball game in Gaither Gymnasium.

South Carolina State (12-15, 9-7 in MEAC) trailed 38-28 at the break, as the Lady Rattlers bolted out of the gate, shooting 53.3 percent from the floor, including cashing in a trio of three-pointers in the opening period.

FAMU extended its’ advantage to as much as 14 points, 43-29 on a Joslyne Jackson layup with 17:39 to go, but their cold second-half shooting opened the door for the Lady Bulldogs.

SCSU outscored FAMU, 38-16 over the final 17 minutes, sparked by sophomore guard Sophilia Hipps, who scored 21 of her game-high 24 points in the second half, and Marie Reid, who hit 11 of her 20 points in the final stanza.

A pair of Hipps foul shots with 6:03 left pulled SCSU dead even with FAMU at 57-57, then after an Evette Young layup at the 5:06 mark put FAMU ahead, 59-57, Hipps put her team ahead for good moments later on a three-pointer for a 60-59 edge.

SCSU closed out FAMU with a 10-0 run, holding the Lady Rattlers scoreless for the final 4:56 of the game.

Hipps led all scorers with 24 points for SCSU, followed by Reid with 20 points and Patience Figgins with 10.

Junior Stephanie Foster led FAMU with 19 points and 14 rebounds, followed by seniors Evette Young with 15 points and Joslyne Jackson with 14. Senior Q’Vaunda Curry ended the night with seven points and 11 rebounds.

Florida A&M (12-16, 2-13 in MEAC) will close out the regular season Thursday against Bethune-Cookman in Gaither Gymnasium, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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