NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Tony Tate scored 24 points and had seven assists to lead Florida A&M to a 79-68 victory over Norfolk State on Saturday night.
Florida A&M (1-4, 1-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) never trailed, and the score was tied only once, at 2-2 less than a minute into the game. Tate's three-point play gave the Rattlers their biggest lead of the first half, 29-19, with 4:54 left.
Chakowby Hicks hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to pull the Spartans (1-3, 0-1 MEAC) to within 35-31, and he drilled another 3 with 18:22 left in the game to cut the Rattlers' lead to 37-34. However, Florida A&M responded with layups by Jonathan Kelly, Darius Glover and Glen Elliott to extend the margin to nine.
Norfolk State twice cut the lead to two, the last time on a free throw by Larry Vickers with 7:23 left, but Glover hit a jumper and two free throws in a 10-2 run as the Rattlers built the lead back to 10.
Hicks sank one of two free throws with 40 seconds left to trim the Florida A&M lead to 72-68 before the Rattlers went 7-of-8 from the line to seal the victory.
Michael Sams scored 16 points and Kelly added 14 for Florida A&M, which shot 49 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the free-throw line.
Karandick Ogunride led Norfolk State with 15 points. Hicks scored 14 and Curtis Bunn hadd 11.
The Spartans shot only 35 percent from the floor.
