DAYTON, OHIO ? The NCAA Tournament’s only team with a losing record is getting the hang of climbing brackets in March.

Terrence Woods, the nation’s most prolific three-point shooter, found his touch in the second half Tuesday, leading Florida A&M to a 72-57 victory over Lehigh in the play-in game.

After opening the season with 10 losses in 11 games, the Rattlers (15-16) found themselves celebrating the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history.

And they’re still one win away from break-even.

“This is a monumental day for Florida A&M,” coach Mike 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.”

Next, the Rattlers (15-16) head to Columbus, Ohio, for a first-round game Friday against Kentucky, hoping to do much better than their three play-in predecessors.

Northwestern State, Siena and North Carolina-Asheville fell hard in their first-round games against top seeds, losing by an average of 26 points.

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

Lehigh (20-11) had little chance once Woods blocked out his ailments and locked in on the rim. He bruised his thigh in the Mid-Eastern Athletic tournament on Saturday and couldn’t practice before the play-in game.

Florida A&M's Michael Harper, left, and Michael Ayodele, right, reach for a rebound against Lehigh center Jason Mgebroff. FAMU won the NCAA Tournament play-in game, 72-57, Tuesday at Dayton, Ohio.

He had trouble in the first half, when his back stiffened as well. His stride and his shot got better as the game went along, and he finished with 21 points and a 5-of-10 performance from behind the arc.

“Once I got loose, I felt OK,” said Woods, who was 4-of-6 from the field in the final 20 minutes. “In the second half, I felt a whole lot better.”

Guard Tony Tate also hurt his leg in a pileup and had to leave the game temporarily. He grimaced often and finished with nine points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Even with their limps, the Rattlers had more than enough.

Lehigh led for less than a minute in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988. The Patriot League winner fell to 0-14 in tournament.

Complete NCAA Tournament coverage

The atmosphere at the University of Dayton Arena was typical for the tournament’s opening game. Small contingents of family and friends sat behind the benches and cheered each score, but most of the 7,808 fans sat quietly in the 13,266-seat arena, waiting for some drama.

There wasn’t much, and most of it involved Woods.

The 6-foot-3 senior guard with the smooth release led Division I with 139 three-pointers last season, the fourth-highest total in NCAA history. He led the nation again this season with 129, shooting 39.8 percent from behind the arc.

He had a stiff gait in warmups and missed his first three shots: a reverse layup and two short jumpers. Woods limped to the bench less than five minutes into the game.

With their best shooter shuttling in and out of the lineup, the Rattlers couldn’t crack an extended defense that took away their specialty. Florida A&M shot almost as many threes as free throws this season, but its wide-open offense was tame without Woods.

In the second half, it got rolling.

Woods came off a screen and hit a three-pointer between two defenders, sparking a nine-point run that built the lead to 16 points midway through the half. Lehigh was only 2-of-15 from the field as Florida A&M pulled away.

“We knew we could get back in it if we played some defense, but Woods started making threes,” said Austen Rowland, the Patriot League’s player of the year. “We had hands in his face, but he kept making shots.”

Rowland was just 3-of-14 from the field for eight points. Kevin Tempest led Lehigh with 13.