FLORIDA A&M TOPS UMES, 78-62 TYLER BIRNBAUM 02/21/09 Rattlers shoot 60.9 percent in win TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M's Lamar Twitty had 18 points to lead the Rattlers to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 78-62 at Gaither Gymnasium Saturday. Florida A&M (7-18, 5-8 MEAC) shot 60.9 percent (28-of-46) in the game, breaking an eight game losing streak. The loss for UMES was their seventh in eight games. Neal Pitt (Fort Washington, Md.) had a team-high 12 points for the Hawks and Aleksandar Popovic (Novi Sad, Serbia) collected a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards. Byron Taylor (15) and Dale Hughes also scored double figures for the Rattlers. It took UMES the first 5:40 of the game to get on the board with a 3-pointer from Chris Conner (Powell, Tenn.) to make it 7-3. The Hawks quickly shaved the lead to 16-11 on another one from long range by Conner with 11:20 to play. Hughes drained a three of his own with 4:38 remaining in the half for the first double-digit lead of the night, 29-19. Jarrod Randall (Finksburg, Md.) responded on the next possession driving the lane and drawing contact. He finished the play and hit the ensuing free throw to cut the hosts' advantage to 29-21. The Hawks got as close as five, 31-26, before the half when Pitt bulled his way inside for two and Boyer picked the pocket of Florida A&M's Joe Ballard to lay it in on consecutive possessions. The Rattlers, who shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the first half, led, 33-26, at the break Taylor hit a pull-up jumper with more than 15 minutes to play that gave the Rattlers a 46-30 advantage. The lead crept up 19 before the Hawks cut it 11, scoring eight straight points in 3:10. Keishawn Mayes (Warrenton, N.C.) had six points in the run. Down, 60-49, with 7:27 to play Marc Davis (Baltimore, Md.) sank a three from the left wing to cut the lead to eight, the closest the Hawks got the rest of the night. Florida A&M put the game away with a 13-3 run in five minutes to take a 73-55 lead with 2:21 left and cruised to victory. The Rattlers shot 16-of-24 in the second half while the Hawks were 21-for-56 (37.5 percent) for the game. UMES had an edge in rebounding, 32-27, points off turnovers, 16-12, and in second-chance points, 11-6. UMES travels to face Bethune-Cookman Monday at 7:30 p.m.