ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The South Carolina State men's basketball team checked into the win column for the first time this season Saturday at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
The Bulldogs defeated Florida A&M to improve to 1-16. Head coach Murray Garvin has seen his team have extended layoffs due to COVID-19 but the team has continued to show up each night and Saturday saw a positive result on the scoreboard.
"I'm getting emotional," said Garvin after the game.
"Young people don't get enough credit for their resiliency during this pandemic. I give credit to those guys. They've hung in there. They have great character.
"I'm just really happy for them," added Garvin. "If you guys could have seen the locker room afterward. It's not about me. It's about this university and the young men in that locker room."
Freshman forward Floyd Rideau, Jr. led the Bulldogs with a team-high 15 points connecting 3-of-6 from behind the arc, while sophomore guard Omar Croskey added 13 in the win.
The Bulldog defense forced the Rattlers to a game-high 22 turnovers. Jalen Speer led FAMU with 20 points in the loss.
South Carolina State will have a quick turnaround when they host Florida A&M today in the final game of a three-game MEAC series in Orangeburg. Tip-off is 2 p.m.