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Florida A&M protects home court in Patrick Crarey III return game with Grambling
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It's not often that an early-season in-conference matchup draws the intrigue of the Florida A&M and Grambling State game. But the nature of what occurred last offseason certainly added a spotlight to the matchup. This Monday, Patrick Crarey III returned to Florida A&M —the team he led last season on a one-year contract before departing in a huge coaching shakeup that affected Grambling and Alabama A&M as well as the Rattlers. Florida A&M has since moved forward, hiring Florida State legend and former NBA player Charlie Ward to lead the program.
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But since leaving Florida A&M, Patrick Crarey III has built Grambling State back into the contender they showed themselves to be back in the 2023-2024 season. They had a great out-of-conference showing, including the pivotal win against reigning MEAC champion Norfolk State University in the Chris Paul Classic. Many expected Crarey and his Grambling State Tigers to have the upper hand, particularly in offensive shot creation and athleticism. But Florida A&M was able to battle back and protect home court in Crarey's return to the "highest of the seven hills."
Many expected Crarey and his Grambling State Tigers to have the upper hand, particularly in offensive shot creation and athleticism. But Florida A&M was able to battle back and protect home court in Crarey's return to the "highest of the seven hills", pulling off the 91-84 high scoring victory.
Jaquan Sanders once again proved that he was the star of the team, scoring 22 points and knocking down four three-pointers to go along with four assists and three steals. He received significant help from Micah Octave, who finished the game with 20 points and five three-pointers, along with eight rebounds. Both Sanders and Octave logged over 35+ minutes in the game, but there were strong contributions from Tyler Shirley, who had 14 points and four assists, and Kaleb Washington, who had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and one three-pointer.
Grambling attempted to make a comeback as both teams dialed up their scoring in the second half, with FAMU winning the second-half scoring battle, 52 to 48. Grambling saw productivity from two other standout players as well: Jamil Muttilib finished the game with 22 points, three steals and two three-pointers, and Derrius Ward clocked in 40 minutes and finished with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and one steal while knocking down two three-pointers and making seven of his eight free throws.
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With the win, Florida A&M goes to 2-1 in SWAC play. The victory shows that Ward has clearly found the contributors on his roster as they move close to the midway point of in-conference play. Meanwhile, Grambling, once believed to be a major contender in their first season under Crarey, has found itself in the middle of the pack in the SWAC conference standings. But, they have plenty of time to right the ship before the SWAC tournament seeding starts to take shape.
Florida A&M is set to play the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Grambling will host rival Southern University on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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