By MONTE DUTTON

Presbyterian College found itself primed for an ambush in its own building Wednesday night, and Florida A&M weathered a furious Blue Hose comeback to win, 65-60.

Stung by the Rattlers as they were, Presbyterian (6-4) whittled a 19-point, second-half deficit down to one but could go no further.

With 14:56 remaining, FAMU’s Ja’Derryus Eatmon scored off a PC turnover, and the Rattlers led, 51-32.

Jamahri Harvey’s two free throws had the Blue Hose within a point (61-60), and the clock still showed 1:58.

Sometimes, the energy and effort required for a frenetic comeback leaves the pursuers spent when they get there.

“We had plenty of opportunities,” PC head coach Quenton Ferrell said. “We missed free throws. We missed some open looks. We had lots of chances when we got it to a one-possession game.

“When you dig yourself a big hole, sometimes you can come up short. That’s why you don’t want to put yourselves in those situations.”

The game’s premier performance came from a player with an odd name for a Rattler.

Love Bettis, a senior from Pensacola, Fla., showered the Blue Hose with it in the form of 22 points, 6/12 field goals, 2/3 three-pointers, 8/9 free throws, two assists and a steal.

Bettis was not alone in shooting acumen, at least in the first half, when Florida A&M (1-5) shot .652 (15-23) from the floor and .500 (3-6) from behind the arc.

Wonder how the comeback happened? In the second half, the Rattlers shot .333 and .167, and PC’s defense had a lot to do with it.

Incredibly, while executing a significant comeback, Presbyterian shot .350 (7-20) and .167 (2-12) in the second half. Both teams hit most of their free throws, though the Blue Hose missed some crucial ones at the end.

“It was very uncharacteristic for us,” Ferrell said. “We were on our home court. They didn’t pressure or trap a ton, and we were sloppy with the ball, and it impacted our offense.”

Nine players scored for the Blue Hose, whose leading scorers were Harvey and Kory Mincy, each with 11 points. Kobe Stewart scored 10 and grabbed six rebounds.

Samaj Teel left the game due to injury and didn’t return, but Ferrell said it didn’t seem serious.

Three besides Bettis scored in double figures for Florida A&M: Shannon Grant (13), Keith Lamar (10) and Hantz Louis-Jaune (10). The last made three steals. Roderick Coffee III scored only a point but handed out five assists.

Harvey and Mincy each had three assists for the Blue Hose.

“For the first half, for whatever reason, we didn’t come out and do the things we needed to do,” Ferrell said. “Clearly, we know what to do because we did it in the second half.”

Mid-Atlantic Christian, of Elizabeth City, N.C., visits Templeton Center next Wednesday at noon for Education Day.

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