SEATTLE, Wash. | Ivy Smith, Jr., scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, but it wasn't enough as the Grambling State University men's basketball team dropped a 93-63 decision to Seattle on Thursday night at the Connolly Complex.
 
Grambling State (4-9) trailed 13-9 just five minutes into the game, but Seattle (10-6) used a commanding 26-10 run over the final 13 minutes of the first half to take a 46-19 advantage into the break.
 
Smith tossed in 19 points, on 6-of-15 shooting and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. He also added six rebounds and two assists. DeVantae Jackson registered 11 points and three boards.
 
Josh Hearlihy paced Seattle with 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Morgan Means finished with 14 points and four assists, while Aaron Menzies tallied a double-double of 13 points and 14 boards, along with two assists and one block. Matej Kavas registered 12 points and five rebounds.
 
 
Turning Point
Grambling State fell behind 12-4 after a 3-pointer by Matej Kavas with 17:19 remaining in the opening half, but the Tigers battled back and trimmed the margin to 13-9 after a 3-pointer by Ivy Smith with 15:52 left.
 
Seattle quickly answered with a 7-0 run, capped by a Josh Hearlihy trey to give the Redhawks a 20-9 advantage with 13:41 left. Seattle used a 26-10 run over the final 13 minutes to take a commanding 46-19 lead into the half.
 
Coming out of the break, Grambling State was able to cut the 27-point deficit to 17 (48-31) after an Anthony Gaston jumper with 16:41 remaining. However, the Redhawks answered and pushed the advantage back to 27 points (65-38) with 12 minutes left.
 
The Tigers could not recover from the big second-half deficit in suffering the loss.
 
Inside the Numbers
· Grambling State shot 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from the field and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the free-throw line.
· Seattle was 32-of-67 (47.8 percent) shooting and 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
· The Tigers finished with 38 rebounds, with 21 coming on the defensive end.
· The Redhawaks tallied 48 rebounds, including 32 off the defensive glass.
· Grambling State scored 24 bench points, 24 points in the paint and 10 second-chance points.
· Seattle finished with 46 points in the paint, 33 bench points and 14 second-chance points.
· Ivy Smith had 11 of the Tigers' 19 points in the first half.
 
News & Notes
· Grambling State concludes the 2017 portion of its schedule at 4-9 (wins over Texas Rio Grande Valley, Tougaloo, Southeastern Louisiana and Georgia Tech).
· Of the 13 games the Tigers played in 2017, only one (Tougaloo) was played at home.
· Grambling State concluded the month of December with a 3-3 mark.
 
Up Next
Grambling State will open the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) schedule on Jan. 1 at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center as Alabama A&M comes to town. Tip-off against the Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m.
 
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