GRAMBLING, La. | Ivy Smith, Jr. sank a pair of free throws with four seconds left as the Grambling State University men's basketball team rallied to edge Southeastern Louisiana, 69-68, on Wednesday night at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
Grambling State (6-6) trailed, 41-34, at the half, but rallied down the stretch to win its second straight game.
 
Smith, who went 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, led the Tigers with 17 points, four assists and two steals. Dallas Polk-Hilliard registered 13 points, three rebounds and one steal, while Prince Moss added 13 points, including three 3-pointers, along with four boards.
 
Moses Greenwood paced Southeastern Louisiana (4-7) with a double-double of 28 points and 14 rebounds, along with one steal. Marlain Veal, who went 8-of-11 from the charity stripe, registered 12 points, five assists, three boards and two steals.
 
Turning Point
Southeastern Louisiana raced out to a 22-13 lead after two free throws by Marlain Veal with 11:24 remaining in the first half, but Grambling State closed the gap to 23-19 after a Travon Bunch with 7:26 left.
 
The Lions pushed the advantage to double digits, 35-25, after a Moses Greenwood 3-pointer with 4:04 left and took a 41-34 advantage into the second half.
 
Southeastern Louisiana led by as many as 12 points, 63-51, with 7:38 left after a D'Angelo West 3-pointer. But Grambling State refused to go quietly and used a 15-3 run over the next five minutes to tie the game at 66 with 2:01 remaining.
 
Veal gave the Lions a slim, 67-66, lead after a free throw, but the Tigers roared down the stretch as Smith sank three free throws to pick up the 69-68 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 40.0 percent (20-of-50) from the floor and 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the charity stripe
> Southeastern Louisiana was 22-of-52 (42.3 percent) from the field and 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 28 rebounds, with 20 coming on the defensive end
> The Lions pulled down 41 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive glass
> Grambling State finished with 26 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 14 points off 17 Lion turnovers, seven second-chance points and four fastbreak points
> Southeastern Louisiana recorded 26 points in the paint, 16 points on 17 Tiger turnovers, 16 second-chance points, 13 bench points and two fastbreak points
 
Up Next
Grambling State concludes its 2018 portion of the schedule on Saturday. The Tigers visit No. 16/17 Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. Tip-off against the Badgers is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network.
 
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