The Rattlers (7-12, 2-5), who had lost seven of eight entering the game, knocked the Pirates (15-5, 5-2) out of a first-place tie with Bethune-Cookman, which beat Howard. FAMU rallied in the second half, during which Stevens scored 17 and grabbed nine rebounds.
The Rattlers saw a three-point halftime deficit reach eight before their surge. Kwame Morgan’s layup made it 39-31 with 11:18 left. FAMU went on a 15-9 run that Stevens capped with a jumper, trimming Hampton’s lead to 48-46 with 5:32 left.
Brandon Tunnell’s free throw gave Hampton a three-point lead before the Rattlers ran off 10 unanswered points, with Stevens’ jumper at 4:46 giving his team the lead for good.
Darrion Pellum’s 19 points led Hampton, while Morgan added 17.
