Barham, a junior college transfer, caught fire early for FAMU, finishing with a game-high 22 points , thanks largely to 5-of-9 three-point shooting. St. Petersburg native Craig Bowman, in a hometown appearance, caught fire late, finishing with 20 points, hitting 4-of-7 from distance, with five steals and five assists.

The Rattlers also got seven points apiece from newcomers Desmond Williams and Nasir Core, six points from Trey-Cary Warren, and four points each from Elijah Mays and Nicholas Severado, the latter who added three blocked shots.

Geno Thorpe led a USF quartet which finished scoring in double figures, bagging 19 points, followed by Bo Zeigler with 15 points, Ruben Guerrero with a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Michael Bibby with 10 points.

FAMU led early by as much as four points, 6-2 on Barham's second three-pointer with 16:54 left in the half, before the Bulls went on a 43-26 scoring surge to seize a 45-32 halftime lead.

The Rattlers did outscore USF, 41-39 in the second half, closing their deficit to single digits several times but to no avail.

The Bulls finished the night shooting 53.6 percent from the floor (30 of 56), while the Rattlers posted a 34.9 percent floor showing (22 of 63), cashing in on 9 of 23 three-pointers to boot.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Rattlers will host a two-game home stand at The Al Lawson Center starting Tuesday against Trinity College (7:00), followed by a Thursday night bout with Johnson University (7:00).