LORMAN, Miss. | The Grambling State University women's basketball team had four players reach double figures in scoring as the Lady Tigers held off a late Alcorn State run in a 75-68 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) win on Monday night at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
The Lady Tigers (6-9 overall, 3-1 SWAC) led 24-8 after one quarter and 43-29 at the break. Alcorn State (5-10, 1-3) cut the margin to 53-50 after three periods, but could not get any closer.
 
Shakyla Hill led the way for the Lady Tigers with 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Justice Coleman registered a career-high 16 points, on 7-of-9 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists. Monisha Neal added 15 points, four boards, three assists and a pair of steals, while Ariel Williams chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.
 
Tia Sanders paced Alcorn State with a game-high 26 points, eight boards, four assists and two steals. Alexus Freeman registered 19 points, five assists and four steals, while Briana Tolliver chipped in with 11 points and nine boards.
 
Turning Point
Grambling State, coming off the heels of Saturday's loss to Southern, opened the game on an 8-2 run, capped by a Monisha Neal 3-pointer with 7:39 left in the first quarter. The Lady Tigers extended the advantage to 20-8 with 1:12 remaining in the period and took a 24-8 lead into the second quarter.
 
Alcorn State cut the margin to 39-29 after an Alexus Freeman bucket with 1:15 remaining in the second quarter, but the
Lady Tigers got four straight points by Ariel Williams to take a 43-29 advantage into the break.
 
The Lady Braves came out in the third quarter and used a 16-7 run, capped by a by a Nwarie Ugochinyere layup with 2:09 left and Alcorn State trailed by just three points, 53-50, after an Alexus Freeman 3-pointer as time expired with Grambling State holding a 53-50 advantage.
 
The Lady Tigers began the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, capped by a Kailyn Gideon layup with 7:48 remaining. Alcorn State closed the gap to 71-64 after a Freeman 3-pointer with 1:40 left, but that would be as close as the Lady Braves would get as a bucket by Coleman with 57 seconds remaining sealed the Grambling State victory.
 
Inside The Numbers
* Grambling State shot 63.8 percent (30-of-47) from the floor and 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the free-throw line.  
* Alcorn State was25-of-74 (33.8 percent) from the field and 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
* The Lady Tigers finished with 34 rebounds, with 29 coming on the defensive end.
* The Lady Braves registered 39 rebounds, including 23 on the offensive glass.
 
News & Notes
* Justice Coleman's previous career high was six points (Alabama  and Alabama State).
* Kailyn Gideon finished with a career-high eight points.
* Grambling State will honor Shakyla Hill for recording her 1,000-career point in between the men's and women's game on Saturday against Prairie View A&M.
* Shakyla Hill came into the game ranked second in the country and first in the SWAC in steals and steals per game.
* Monisha Neal is now just 52 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She is currently sitting on 948 in her four-year career.
 
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 3 p.m.
 
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