GRAMBLING, La. | Jason Perry-Murray tipped in a missed shot by Nigel Ribeiro with .03 of a second remaining as the Grambling State University men's basketball team rallied in the final seconds to defeat Texas Southern, 79-78, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Monday night at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
The Tigers (7-12 overall, 3-3 SWAC) led by as many as six points in the final 24 seconds, but watched as Texas Southern (3-15, 3-2) stormed back to grab a 78-77 lead with six seconds remaining. After a timeout, Ribeiro got the ball and carried it over the timeline before dribbling the lane and laying a shot. His shot bounced off the cylinder and Murray snatched up the loose ball for the bucket with .03 of a second remaining.
Texas Southern had one final opportunity to win the game, but could not get a shot off.
Shirmane Thomas scored 20 of his career-high 27 points in the first half to lead Grambling State. Perry-Murray finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, while
Ivy Smith, Jr., added 10 points and four assists before fouling out late in the second half.
Donte Clark paced Texas Southern with 27 points, three boards and three assists, while Trayvon Reed chipped in with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, along with four blocked shots. Brian Carey registered 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Turning Point
Texas Southern took a 42-39 lead into the break and led, 50-45 after a Clark layup with 17:03 remaining. The advantage grew to 57-49 after Clark scored on a layup with 13:08 left, but Grambling State slowly started chipping away at the deficit and cut the margin to 61-57 after a Perry-Murray bucket with 9:05 remaining.
Texas Southern extended the lead to 64-57 after two free throws by Clark, but Grambling State used a 20-8 run over the next six minutes to take a 77-71 lead after two free throws by Smith.
With the crowd exiting the arena, Texas Southern staged a tremendous comeback as buckets by Cainan McClelland and Lamont Walker cut the deficit to 77-75 with 12 seconds left. A dunk by Clark tied the game at 77 and he sank a foul shot with six seconds remaining to give Texas Southern a 78-77 lead.
That set the stage for the game-winner by Perry-Murray and give Grambling State its third straight SWAC win.
Inside the Numbers
· Grambling State shot 43.7 percent (31-of-71) from the floor and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free-throw line.
· Texas Southern was 21-of-52 (40.4 percent) shooting and 33-of-43 (76.7 percent) from the charity stripe.
· Grambling State finished with 41 rebounds, with 26 coming on the defensive end.
· Texas Southern tallied 40 rebounds, with 28 coming on the defensive glass.
· Grambling State scored 44 points in the paint, 26 off turnovers, 10 fast break points and 12 second-chance points.
· Texas Southern scored 30 points in the paint, 14 second-chance points and 21 points off turnovers.
· There were 5 lead changes and three ties.
News & Notes
· The last time these two teams met up was at the 2017 Toyota SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament, with Texas Southern picking up a 62-57 victory.
· The victory over Texas Southern was the first Grambling State win against TSU in more than 10 years.
Up Next
Grambling State returns to action on Saturday, in Jackson, Miss., against Jackson State. Tip-off for the SWAC contest is set for 7:30 p.m.
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