Eric Frederick scored 19 points as Florida International snapped a five-game losing streak and defeated Florida A&M 87-82 on Wednesday night.
The Panthers (5-6) took the lead for good during a 17-4 run midway through the second half. Jeremy Allen scored eight straight points during the spurt and finished with 14.
The Rattlers (5-7) got within a point, 78-77, on Avery Moore's 3-pointer with 2:28 remaining. But the Panthers outscored the Rattlers 5-0 in the next 1:46 behind Allen's field goal, two free throws from Phil Gary and one free throw by Marvin Roberts.
Moore led the Rattlers with a game-high 20 points, 16 of them in the second half.
The Rattlers erased a six-point deficit early in the second half with a 12-0 run. Moore keyed the spurt with consecutive 3-pointers and Yannick Crowder's basket with 13:14 remaining capped the run for a 54-48 Florida A&M lead.
