By Joe Kay
The Associated Press

DAYTON - The first three NCAA tournament play-in winners didn't have what it takes to last very long. The latest one seems to fit the mold.

Florida A&M doesn't even have a winning record.

Florida A&M guard Terrence Woods (15) shoots a three pointer against Lehigh defender Earl Nurse (34) in the second half. (AP photo)

The Rattlers officially opened the tournament and moved within one game of the break-even mark Tuesday night by beating Lehigh 72-57 behind Terrence Woods, who overcame an assortment of injuries to score 21 points.

The only team in the tournament with a losing record, Florida A&M (15-16) advanced to a first-round game in Columbus against Kentucky, which has everything over the Rattlers except 3-point shooting.

"We've been criticized all year about our defense, but this is the third game in a row that we've held a team in the 50s," coach Mike Gillespie said. "Now if we can hold Kentucky to 50 in a half, I'll be happy with that."

Like their three play-in predecessors, the Rattlers are just happy to be moving on to the real thing - an NCAA tournament game with all the window dressing.

Northwestern State, Siena and North Carolina-Asheville won the tournament's first play-in games, then went down hard in first-round games against top seeds. None of them could stay closer than 15 points, and their average margin of loss was 26 points.

The Rattlers had a few encounters with high-profile teams during a season-opening 1-10 run, and those didn't turn out well at all. They lost to North Carolina State by 30 points, to Florida by 24, to Georgia by 18 and to Marquette by 20.

Next up is a team ranked higher than any of them.

"As for Kentucky, they put their shoes on just like we do," said Woods, who has trouble bending over to tie his shoes these days. "I feel we have a chance, just like we did against Lehigh."

Lehigh (20-11) had only one chance to get its first NCAA tournament win. The Mountain Hawks had to get a big game from Austen Rowland, the Patriot League's player of the year, and shut down Woods, the nation's most prolific 3-point shooter each of the last two seasons.

On both counts, they failed miserably.

Rowland went only 3-of-14 from the field for eight points, and Lehigh shot 29.5 percent overall. The Mountain Hawks managed to stay within striking distance until Woods found his touch midway through the second half.

"We knew we could get back in it if we played some defense, but Woods started making 3s," Rowland said. "We had hands in his face, but he kept making shots."

Gillespie didn't know whether Woods would be able to play. He bruised his thigh while fighting through a screen in the Mid-Eastern Athletic tournament title game Saturday, and wasn't able to practice leading up to the play-in game.

He had a stiff gait in warmups, but made most of his shots. When the game started, it was obvious he wasn't healthy - he missed his first three shots, all from close range. Woods also limped to the bench less than five minutes into the game.

His back started to tighten, adding to his problems. Once he finally got loose, his shot returned.

"In the second half, I felt a whole lot better," said Woods, who made four of his last six shots.

Woods came off a screen and made a 3-pointer between two defenders to spark a clinching nine-point run in the second half.

"He's got deep range," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said. "In a game like this, you have to have your big men step up, and he did. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but he got 21 points in 29 minutes."

Lehigh's loss left the Patriot League 0-14 in the NCAA tournament. Florida A&M's win was its first.

"This is a monumental day for Florida A&M," Gillespie said. "One more time for all the people who say we don't belong here: I'm not going to apologize. We earned our way here."

LEHIGH (20-11)-Monserez 0-4 0-0 0, Nurse 2-3 3-4 7, Mgebroff 2-4 3-5 7, Rowland 3-14 0-0 8, Olivero 2-8 0-0 6, Neptune 1-7 0-0 2, Tiah 1-1 2-2 4, Gilfillan 0-0 1-2 1, Callahan 0-0 0-0 0, Tempest 3-7 4-4 13, Mickelson 2-4 0-0 4, Fishman 2-2 1-2 5. Totals 18-54 14-19 57.

FLORIDA A&M (15-16)-Ayodele 2-6 0-0 4, Harper 4-8 3-4 11, Wilkins 5-12 1-2 12, Tate 1-8 7-9 9, Woods 7-16 2-2 21, White 0-2 0-0 0, Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Kelly 3-7 2-4 8, Zamore 1-1 1-2 3, Sams 0-0 0-0 0, Russell 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 25-63 16-23 72.

Halftime-Florida A&M 39-33. 3-Point Goals-Lehigh 7-30 (Tempest 3-5, Olivero 2-6, Rowland 2-9, Gilfillan 0-1, Monserez 0-3, Neptune 0-3, Tiah 0-3), Florida A&M 6-20 (Woods 5-10, Wilkins 1-4, Ayodele 0-3, Tate 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Lehigh 42 (Fishman, Nurse 7), FAMU 44 (Harper 12). Total fouls-Lehigh 20, FAMU 15. A-7,808