(Tallahassee, Fla.) – The Delaware State women's basketball team (7-15, 4-5 MEAC) failed to climb out of a 17-point first quarter deficit Monday evening on the road against the Florida A&M Rattlers (12-10, 6-3 MEAC), as the Lady Hornets fell big for the second time in as many as games, 86-56.  

With this defeat, DSU not only concluded its Florida road swing at 0-2, but Monday night's defeat was its fourth consecutive loss to the Rattlers.  FAMU, meanwhile, registered its second straight win, in addition to moving three games above .500 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play.

Spearheading Florida A&M's attack was the MEAC's third leading scorer, forward Olivia Antilla (15.5 ppg), pouring in 21 of her game-high 30 points (10-of-22) in the first half.  Antilla, who ranked second in the conference in 3-pointers made (51), lived up to her billing from long distance, draining six out of FAMU's field goals made from downtown. Guard Khaderja Young, who sat second on the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) coming in, was also a tough handle for DSU, totaling 17 points (6-of-10 ), five boards, two assists and one steal.

The Lady Hornets, on the other hand, never led at any point during in the game.  Adding insult to injury, literally, Delaware State had only seven players active because of multiple players sidelined, most notably leading scorers in guard Mikah Aldridge (12.4 ppg) and forward Amber Bogard (10.8 ppg).

On the bright side, three Hornets scored in double figures, led by guard Aaliyah Davis registering a career-high 14 points (5-of-10).  Freshman Bobbi Floyd, meanwhile, chipped in with a career-high 13 points (5-of-8), whereas forward/center Nikkei Blackburn had 10 points (5-of-8) and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. The difference in the game, however, was FAMU scoring 29 points off 24 DSU turnovers.

Coming up, the Columbia Blue & Red will look to get back on track this Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) at home against UMES.  Last season, the Hawks swept the season series with a pair of double-digit victories.

Stingers

DSU shot 40 percent (21-of-53) from the field, compared to FAMU's 47 percent (32-of-68)… FAMU scored 38 points in the paint and 31 points off the bench… DSU's Aliah Stinnett tallied a season-high nine points (3-of-5)… Despite not scoring, FAMU's Chloe Nixon registered game-highs in assists (8) and rebounds (10)… DSU is now 2-10 away from Memorial Hall this season… FAMU now leads the all-time series against DSU, 33-19.