Florida A&M snapped a four-game skid Saturday evening with a 69-59 win over Winston-Salem State in Gaither Gymnasium.

FAMU improved to 8-10 overall with the win, while Winston-Salem State fell to 1-17 on the season.

Both teams started out sluggish in the opening half, shooting in the 30 percent range from the floor, which contributed to a 24-23 count at intermission with FAMU ahead.

Winston-Salem State twice led by as much as four points and held a 21-20 lead with 3:04 left, before FAMU’s Stephanie Foster nailed a three-pointer to put her team ahead, 23-21 at the 2:45 mark.

Rene Rector’s layup with 1:16 left in the half tied the game for the fifth time at 23-23, but FAMU’s Melissa Daniels was fouled while shooting, then hit the second of two charity tosses to give the Lady Rattlers the lead at intermission.

Both teams turned up the heat offensively in the second half, with FAMU shooting 53.6 percent from the floor to 48.3 for WSSU.

The Lady Rams did outgun FAMU from three-point range in the final 20 minutes, cashing in on 5-of-8 treys, compared to 3-of-5 for the home team.

Yet despite the increased tempo in the second half, FAMU pulled away from WSSU, building an 11-point lead on a pair of free throws by Deidra Jones with 10:08 left, 37-26.

FAMU’s lead grew to 13 points, 44-31 with 12:25 left on a free throw by Antonia Bennett, and the Lady Rattlers pushed it to 16 points, 61-45, on an old-fashioned three-point play by Bennett with 3:33 left.

The Lady Rattlers, who scored 69 points combined in their previous two games against Maryland Eastern Shore (38) and Delaware State (31) last weekend, had four players score in double figures Saturday, led by freshman Antonia Bennett with 16 points and six rebounds.

Seniors Stephanie Foster and Melissa Daniels each finished with 15 points, while fellow senior Deidra Jones added 12 points. Foster hit a trio of three-pointers, while Bennett finished with a pair.

Freshman Qiana Donald pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with her eight points, while Daniels pulled down seven boards.

For WSSU, MaLisa Bumpus scored a game-high 18 points, knocking down four three-pointers, followed by Rene Rector with 17 points, highlighted by a trio of triples. Vontisha Woods rounded out the top scoring trio with 12 points.

FAMU returns to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Monday evening against South Carolina State in Gaither Gym. Tipoff will be 5:30 p.m.