LORMAN, Miss. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team used a strong second half as the Tigers picked up their first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) win on Monday night, defeating Alcorn State, 72-61, at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Grambling State (5-12 overall, 1-3 SWAC) trailed 33-31 at the half, but turned it on in the second half, outscoring Alcorn State, 41-28, to pick up the victory.
Anthony Gaston paced Grambling State with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Ivy Smith, Jr. added 15 points, four boards, four assists and two steals.
Shirmane Thomas registered 13 points and six boards, while
Jason Perry-Murray recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Dante Sterling led Alcorn State with 14 points, while Yalen Reed added 12 points and seven boards. Troymain Crosby finished with 10 points and six boards and Maurice Howard chipped in with 10 points.
Turning Point
Alcorn State (4-13, 0-4) took a 17-11 advantage after an Avery Patterson 3-pointer with 10:47 left, but Grambling State responded with a 13-3 run, capped by an
Ivy Smith, Jr. 3-pointer to grab a 24-20 lead with 6:31 remaining in the first half.
The Tigers extended the lead to 29-23 on an
Anthony Gaston layup with 4:36 remaining, but a 3-pointer by A.J. Mosby and a bucket by Troymain Crosby gave the Braves a 31-29 lead with 2:29 left.
Alcorn State was able to get a layup by A.J. Mosby with 1:35 left as the Braves took a 33-31 lead into the break.
The Braves stretched the lead to 37-31 with 19:05 left, but Grambling State answered and used a 16-10 run over the next five minutes to grab a 47-46 advantage after a
Shirmane Thomas layup with 14:02 remaining.
The Tigers was able to get some distance and took a 64-59 advantage after a pair of free throws by
Jason Perry-Murray and extended the lead to 68-59 after a Perry-Murray dunk with 2:48 remaining.
The Braves could not recover as Grambling State picked up its first SWAC win.
Inside The Numbers
* Grambling State shot 40.0 percent (24-of-60) from the floor and 67.7 percent (21-of-31) from the free-throw line.
* Alcorn State was 22-of-50 (44.0 percent) shooting and 10-of-20 (50.0 percent) from the charity stripe.
* The Lady Tigers finished with 45 rebounds, with 20 coming on the offensive glass.
* The Lady Braves registered 32 rebounds, including 21 on the defensive end.
News & Notes
* Grambling State gave
Donte' Jackson his first SWAC win of the season.
* The Tigers have five wins this season, with four of those coming on the road.
Up Next
Grambling State returns to action with a pair of home games, starting on Saturday against Prairie View A&M. Tip-off from the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center is set for 5:30 p.m.
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