DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team used a pair of runs at the beginning of each half, but it wasn't enough to propel the Tigers in an 87-78 loss to Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night at Moore Gymnasium.
 
Grambling State (0-4) began the game on a 9-1 run and used a 16-9 run to begin the second half and close the halftime deficit to 53-51. However, Bethune-Cookman (2-3) put the game out of reach during a six-minute stretch of the second half with a 19-6 run to take a 72-57 advantage.
 
Diontae Jones came off the bench to pour in a career-high 20 points, on 7-of-16 shooting. He also added six rebounds, one rebound, one steal and one block. Ivy Smith, Jr., registered a career-high 18 points, including a pair of three pointers. He added four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Axel Mpoyo tallied 14 points, a career-high eight boards, and one steal, while Shirmane Thomas registered 12 points and six rebounds.
 
Brandon Tabb paced four Wildcat players in double figures with 26 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, and six 3-pointers. Isaiah Bailey finished with 14 points, four assists and one steal, while Shawntrez Davis chipped in with 11 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and one assist. Soufiyane Diakite tallied 10 points and eight boards, and Malik Maitland registered a game-high 10 assists, along with eight points.
 
Turning Point
Grambling State opened the game on a 9-1 run, capped by an Axel Mpoyo dunk, with 16:29 remaining in the first half, and continued to push the margin as Ivy Smith, Jr., drained 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 16-9 advantage with 12:23 left.
 
Bethune-Cookman rallied and used a 21-4 run, over the next seven minutes, to take a 31-20 advantage after a Brandon Tabb 3-pointer with 7:01 left in the opening half.
 
The Wildcats led, 44-35, at the half, but used a 16-9 run over the first five minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to 53-51, after a Diontae Jones jumper with 14:23 remaining.
 
Back came Bethune-Cookman as the Wildcats put the game out of reach during a six-minute stretch to grab a 72-57 lead after a 19-6 run, capped by an Armani Collins 3-pointer with 8:09 remaining.
 
Inside the Numbers
· Grambling State shot 40.6 percent (28-of-69) from the floor and 70.4 percent (19-of-27) from the free-throw line.
· Bethune-Cookman was 31-of-56 (55.4 percent) shooting and 13-of-26 (50 percent) from the charity stripe.
· The Tigers registered 40 points in the paint, 30 bench points, 22 points off 20 Wildcat turnovers and 10 second-chance points.
· The Wildcats recorded 37 points in the paint, 18 bench points, 17 points off 12 Tiger turnovers and 11 second-chance points.
· Grambling State finished with 35 rebounds, including 24 off the defensive glass.
· Bethune-Cookman tallied 43 rebounds, with 35 of those coming on the defensive end.
· There were two ties and two lead changes.
 
News & Notes
· Diontae Jones' previous career high was 16 points against VCU this season.
· Ivy Smith, Jr.'s previous career high was 17 points against Jarvis Christian last season.
· The matchup is the only one against a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
· Despite the loss, Grambling State continues to lead the all-time series, 4-1.
· The Tigers completed the fourth of seven straight road games.
 
Up Next
Grambling State will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 25 in Edinburg, Texas to take on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be viewed on the WAC Digital Network.
 
Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathletics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.