HOUSTON, Texas (Women's basketball) – The Grambling State University women's basketball took the show on the road to Texas Southern University (10-5, 4-0 SWAC) on Saturday evening. The Lady Tigers stormed into H&PE Arena but couldn't close the deal. Grambling was defeated by TSU, 69-61.

The Lady Tigers (5-11, 3-2 SWAC) came out blazing in the first half by outscoring Texas Southern, 34-25. John'ea Thompson set the tone, in the first quarter, with a monster block at the 9:49 mark. GSU wouldn't look back through the first two quarters of play. Grambling went 34.4 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free throw stripe.

In the second half, the Lady Tigers continued their dominance but TSU began to pick up the pace. By the end of the third quarter, Texas Southern was able to pull within two, 47-45. With 2:02 left in the game, TSU's Joyce Kennerson nailed a lay-up to knot the score at 61. Coming down the stretch, fouls would be the undoing of the Grambling as committed seven fouls and Texas Southern capitalized off the mistakes.

"It was a hard fought game between two good teams. Games like this usually come down to who maximizes their possessions because the margin of error is small," said Head Coach Fred Muray,"They did what they had to do to win and we didn't. Each outcome whether win or lose you can grow from. We'll learn from this game."

Monisha Neal led the way for the Lady Tigers with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Thompson also headlined for Grambling with ten points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. The team was 33.9 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from three point range, and 72 percent from the free throw line.

TSU was carried by Kennerson with a game-high 29 points. Breasia McElrath made her presence known with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. The team was 53.2 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from the arc, and 76.2 percent from the stripe.

The Lady Tigers will continue their Houston road trip by facing Prairie View A&M University on Monday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.