GRAMBLING, La. | Ivy Smith, Jr. led five players in double figures with a career high in points and assists as Grambling State rolled past Tougaloo College, 111-95, on Monday night at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Grambling State (3-5), which has now won back-to-back games, shot 50 percent (19-of-30) from the floor in the first half and led 57-44 at the break. The Tigers led by as many as 20 points (43-23) in the first half but the Bulldogs (6-2) cut the deficit to four twice in the second half.
Smith led the way with a career-high 31 points, including 16-of-17 from the free-throw line. He added a career-high 13 assists, six rebounds, four steals and one block.
Drake Wilks added a career-high 21 points, three boards, one block, one steal and one assist, while
Axel Mpoyo finished with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, while also adding two blocks and one assist.
Diontae Jones and
Anthony Gaston tallied 14 points each.
Tonzell Handy led Tougaloo with 26 points and nine boards. Jadarius Haymer registered 22 points, six boards and three assists, while Denarius Odell tallied 15 points, six boards and four assists. Angernee Parker and Carlo McDonald added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Turning Point
A Handy layup with 15:45 remaining in the first half tied the game at 13, but the Tigers used a 19-8 run, capped by a Smith layup to give Grambling State a 32-21 lead with 9:08 left.
The Tigers continued to add to the lead and took a 45-25 advantage after a
Bobby Jackson dunk with 5:42 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs refused to go away quietly and battled back and closed the margin to 57-44 at the half.
Tougaloo took advantage of a slow second-half start by Grambling State and trimmed the margin to 63-59 after a 15-6 run as Handy scored on a tip-in. However, The Tigers continued to maintain the lead and took an 87-78 advantage after a Wilks 3-pointer with 8:38 remaining.
Wilks trey sparked a 13-3 run over the next four minutes as his free throw gave the Tigers a commanding 100-81 lead with 4:35 left. The Bulldogs could never recover the late second-half run as Grambling State picked up its third win of the season.
Inside the Numbers
* Grambling State shot 36-of-65 (55.4 percent) from the field and 78 percent (32-of-41) from the free-throw line.
* Tougaloo was 50 percent (35-of-70) from the floor and 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) from the charity stripe.
* The Tigers tallied 39 rebounds, with 28 off the defensive glass.
* The Bulldogs registered 36 rebounds, including 24 of those from the defensive end.
* Grambling State registered 31 bench points, 48 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers and seven second-chance points.
* Tougaloo finished with 52 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers, 14 second-chance points and 11 bench points.
* The score was tied two times and there was one lead change.
News and Notes
* Grambling State is coming off an impressive 64-63 win over Georgia Tech, one of the biggest upsets in the history of GSU's basketball program.
* The Tigers' next five games will be on the road to include two stops in-state (Louisiana-Monroe and Southeastern Louisiana).
* The Tigers scored over 100 points in four victories last season.
* Grambling State scored the most points in over nine seasons in the win over Tougaloo.
* The Tigers' 111 points were the most Grambling State had scored since the 110 they scored in a win last season over Savannah State.
Up Next
Grambling State will seek its third straight win as the Tigers visit Grand Canyon on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off from the GCU Arena is set for 8 p.m.
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