Norfolk, Va. (Mar. 11, 2014) --- Delaware State's bid for a long MEAC Tournament run has ended in heartbreak. The 11th seeded Hornets came up empty on three possessions in the final minute of a 65-61 opening round loss to No. 6 seed Florida A&M at the Scope Arena this evening.

Florida A&M (14-17) advances to face third seeded Morgan State in the quarterfinals on Thursday (Mar. 13) at 6 p.m. Delaware State ends its season with a 9-21 overall record.

"Our overall effort was great and I don't want to take anything away from Florida A&M, but we made too many mistakes down the stretch," said Delaware State interim head coach Keith Walker, who was 5-6 after assuming the position on Jan. 30. "We missed a number of easy shots and committed several unforced errors at key times. I'm very hurt for the kids because they put a lot of energy and effort into this contest."

Delaware State led 61-58 when Florida A&M's Jamie Adams nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 61-61 with 1:44 left to play. There were seven ties and 11 lead changes in the contest.

Delaware State missed a shot on the ensuing possession; and Florida A&M regained the ball.

Adams was fouled with 54 seconds left, and hit one-of-two free throws to give the Rattlers a 62-61 lead.

On the next DSU possession, DeAndre Haywood missed a shot in the lane. Florida A&M's Christopher Rozier rebounded the ball and was fouled with 15 seconds left.  Rozier hit the second of two free throws to stretch the Rattler's lead to 63-61.

After a timeout, the Hornets had a chance to tie the game with a two-point shot or win it with a three-pointer on their final possession. DSU guard Charles Burley drove into the lane and attempted a shot, but it was blocked by Florida A&M's Christopher Spiller with 2.2 seconds remaining.

Rozier grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. He knocked down two free throws to give the Rattlers a four-point lead to seal the win.

Delaware State led 36-31 at the half, and opened up its biggest second half lead, 38-31, on a basket by A.J. Thomas with 18:57 left to play.

The Hornets led 60-54 when Kendall Gray hit two free throws with 3:09 remaining.

Florida A&M controlled the game for much of the first half before Delaware State stormed back.

The Rattlers led 17-10 after six minutes, and opened up a 24-14 advantage on a basket by Muhammad Abdul-Aleem with 10:17 left in the first half.

Casey Walker keyed an 11-0 Delaware State run to get the Hornets back into the game. Kendall Gray capped off the run with a three-point play to give DSU a 25-24 lead with 6:01 to go before half time.

Walker scored eight points during the rally, including two three-pointers. 

Florida A&M led 29-27 before the Hornets closed out the half with a 9-2 run to hold the lead at the break. Walker's fourth three-pointer gave DSU a 34-31 lead with 45 seconds showing on the first half clock.

The Hornets were five-for-seven on three-point shots in the first half (71.4%).

Tonight's game also marked the final collegiate contest for Hornet seniors Walker, Thomas and Jordan Lawson. Walker led three Delaware State players in double figures with 16 points. He was five-for-nine from the field, including four-of-six from three-point territory. Walker ends his career with 1449 points to rank seventh on the school's all-time scoring list. His four three-pointers tonight gave him 265 at DSU, second best in team history.

Kendall Gray added 13 points (9-12 FTs) and seven rebounds for the Hornets. Gray, a 2014 All-MEAC Second Team selection, also had two blocks to give him a school record 81 this season.   

Haywood, a 2014 MEAC All-Rookie pick, had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds for DSU.

Reggie Lewis was high man for Florida A&M with a game-high 18 points. Adams 15 points, while Joman Bradshaw had 12 for the Rattlers.

Florida A&M has been a MEAC Tournament nemesis of the Hornets. The Rattlers have won five straight MEAC Tournament contests against Delaware State to improve to 11-1 all-time in tournament meetings between the teams.