TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — A dominant performance at the free throw line and a decisive fourth-quarter surge propelled the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers to an 86-73 victory over the Texas Southern Lady Tigers in a Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center.

The Lady Rattlers, who improved to 7-15 overall, attempted more than double the free throws of their opponent, converting 33 of 40 attempts. That 82.5% clip from the line proved to be the primary difference in a game where both teams shot nearly identically from the field. Texas Southern, which fell to 9-14, made just 14 of its 20 free throw attempts.

Florida A&M led for nearly the entire contest, establishing a 38-27 advantage by halftime. The Lady Tigers mounted a significant challenge in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Rattlers 23-19 behind the scoring of Taliyah Logwood to trim the deficit to 57-50 entering the final period.

The most critical stretch of the game came early in the fourth quarter. After Texas Southern’s Logwood hit a jumper to cut the Florida A&M lead to 59-52 with 9:20 remaining, the Lady Rattlers responded with a decisive 9-0 run over the next two and a half minutes. The spurt was fueled by aggressive drives and capitalized on Texas Southern turnovers, effectively extinguishing the Lady Tigers’ comeback hopes. Cornelia Ellington’s pull-up jumper at the 8:37 mark pushed the lead to 61-52, and a steal and transition score by Ellington moments later extended it to 66-52, forcing a Texas Southern timeout.

Florida A&M’s offensive efficiency, measured by an offensive rating of 113.2 points per 100 possessions, outpaced Texas Southern’s 94.2 rating. The Lady Rattlers also forced 15 turnovers, converting them into 13 points, while committing only 10 turnovers themselves. They distributed the ball effectively, tallying 13 assists to Texas Southern’s six, and recorded 13 steals.

Tahnyjia Purifoy and Shaniyah McCarthy led a balanced Florida A&M attack, each scoring 19 points. Purifoy, a guard from Pensacola, Florida, added four assists in 35 minutes, while McCarthy, from Apopka, Florida, played 33 minutes. Ellington, a guard from Atlanta, provided a crucial all-around effort with 14 points, two assists and 38 minutes of play. The Lady Rattlers’ interior presence was bolstered by Breazia Robinson of Cleveland, Ohio, who scored 11 points and blocked two shots.

Texas Southern was carried by the standout performance of Taliyah Logwood, who scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-24 shooting in just 26 minutes. Guard Aaliyah Henderson of Norman, Oklahoma, contributed 10 points and six assists. Malaya LeSueur of Portland, Oregon, added nine points.

Despite the loss, Texas Southern held a slight edge in points in the paint, 36-34, and made five three-pointers to Florida A&M’s one. However, the Lady Tigers could not overcome the disparity in free throw opportunities and a series of untimely turnovers during Florida A&M’s game-sealing run.

The Lady Rattlers entered the game following a home win against Prairie View on Thursday, while Texas Southern arrived after a road loss at Bethune-Cookman. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Texas Southern was a narrow pregame favorite with a 52.4% probability to win.

An announced crowd of 605 attended the conference matchup.

Florida A&M travels next to face Alcorn State on Thursday. Texas Southern returns home to host Southern, also on Thursday.