NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team wrapped up play at the Fort Myers Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon with an 80-69 loss to IUPUI at the Frank and Barbara Layden Court at the Gallagher Center.
 
Dallas Polk-Hilliard, who was named to the Niagara Regional All-Tournament Team, and Axel Mpoyo each recorded 11 points to pace the Grambling State offense. Polk-Hilliard also added five rebounds and two steals, while Mpoyo tallied eight boards.
 
Camron Justice registered a game-high 23 points, along with four rebounds and two assists to lead IUPUI. Ahmed Ismail posted a double-double of 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, along with three assists.
 
Turning Point
With the score tied at 11, IUPUI went on a 9-2 run, capped by an Ahmed Ismail three-point play to take a 20-13 lead with 10:57 left in the first half. Grambling State cut the deficit to 25-22 after a Dallas Polk-Hilliard jumper with 7:17 remaining.
 
The Jaguars quickly extended the advantage to 32-22 after buckets by Camron Justice and Ismail with five minutes remaining in the half. The Tigers trimmed the margin to 34-30 after a Zavier Peart layup, but IUPUI took a 39-31 advantage into the break.
 
The Jaguars pushed the advantage to 58-38 after a bucket by Justice with 13:08 remaining. Grambling State continued to trim away at the deficit as Lasani Johnson's layup with 6:42 cut the margin to 63-51.
 
Grambling State could not rally in the final six minutes in falling to the Jaguars.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the floor and 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from the charity stripe
> IUPUI was 30-of-63 (47.6 percent) from the field and 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 43 rebounds, including 19 on the offensive glass
> The Jaguars pulled down 37 rebounds, with 26 coming on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished with 29 bench points, 28 points in the paint, 15 points off 14 Jaguar turnovers, nine second-chance points and two fast-break points
> IUPUI recorded 32 points in the paint, 31 bench points, 24 points off 13 Tiger turnovers, 12 second-chance points and 10 fast-break points
 
Up Next
Grambling State will take a week off before returning to action against LSU on Saturday, Dec. 1. Tip-off in Baton Rouge, La. is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
 
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