C.J. Reed had 23 points and five assists and Bethune-Cookman defeated Florida A&M 64-53 on Tuesday night in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.
The seventh-seeded Wildcats (17-15) not only avenged a 69-64 loss to the Rattlers on March 4, they also secured their second straight winning season - their only two in Division I play. Bethune-Cookman also won the teams' first meeting 58-57 on Dec. 5.
The Wildcats, who scored 18 points off 17 turnovers, will take on No. 2 seed Delaware State on Wednesday night.
Stanley Elliott added 12 points and eight rebounds for Bethune-Cookman.
The Wildcats led 33-23 at halftime and the 10th-seeded Rattlers could get no closer than five in the second half.
Brandon Bryant led FAMU (9-22) with 11 points.
The Rattlers outshot the Wildcats 39.6 percent (19-for-48) to 37.7 percent (23-for-61).
