LARAMIE, Wyoming. | Four Grambling State University men's basketball players reached double figures in scoring, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers fell behind by as many as 16 points in the second half in an 86-78 loss to Wyoming on Wednesday night during a Fort Myers Tip-Off Classic game at Arena Auditorium.
 
Grambling State (1-1) trailed by double digits at the break, 52-42, but nearly rallied late and outscored Wyoming in the second half, 26-34.
 
Dallas Polk-Hilliard led the Tigers in scoring with 14 points, five rebounds and one assist. Axel Mpoyo added 13 points, on 5-of-8 shooting, with two boards, two blocks and one steal. Devante Jackson finished with 12 points, on 5-of-6 shooting, with four rebounds, two blocks and one steal, while Ivy Smith, Jr. tallied 10 points, three assists and one steal.
 
Justin James paced the Cowboys (1-2) with a game-high 23 points, including 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. He also added seven rebounds, three assists and one block. Hunter Maldonado registered a double-double of 21 points and 12 boards, along with two steals and two assists, while TJ Taylor added 21 points, seven rebounds, three steals and one assist. Jake Hendricks chipped in with 13 points and three boards.
 
Turning Point
Grambling State led 14-12 after a 3-pointer by Axel Mpoyo with 13:51 remaining, but Wyoming used a 19-7 run, capped by a Jake Hendricks 3-pointer to grab a 31-21 advantage with 7:58 left in the first half.
 
The Tigers trimmed the deficit to 35-31 after a Shaq Athie layup with 5:19 left in the first half. That would be as close as Grambling State would get in the opening half as Wyoming took a 52-42 lead into the break.
 
Grambling State came out of the break with six straight points, capped by a Devante Jackson layup with 19:22 left, to cut the deficit to 52-47. However, Wyoming used a 14-3 run over the next six minutes as TJ Taylor drained a 3-pointer to give the Cowboys a 66-50 advantage with 13:47 remaining.
 
The Tigers battled back and closed the gap to 84-78 after a pair of Ivy Smith, Jr. free throws with 1:03 left, but that would be as close as Grambling State would get in the final minute.

Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 49.1 percent (28-of-58) from the floor and 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the charity stripe
> Wyoming was 25-of-60 (41.7 percent) from the field and 27-of-32 (84.4 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 33 rebounds, with 25 coming off the defensive glass
> The Cowboys pulled down 42 boards, including 28 on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished 32 points in the paint, 31 bench points, 10 second-chance points, eight points off 11 Cowboy turnovers and four fast-break points
> Wyoming tallied 26 points in the paint, 25 off 15 Tiger turnovers, 23 bench points, 11 fast-break points and seven second-chance points
 
Up Next
Grambling State visits Loyola-Chicago on Friday. Loyola-Chicago is coming off a 75-62 victory on Wednesday night against Niagara. Tip-off on Friday against the Ramblers is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
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