GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico | Shakyla Hill's jumper hit off the front iron and rebounded by Jasmine Forte, who scored on the putback with 2.7 seconds left as the Grambling State University women's basketball team survived another close contest with a 62-61 victory over Loyola Marymount to close out play on Friday in the Puerto Rico Classic at Mario Morales Coliseum.
 
Grambling State (3-8) led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but suffered a six-minute scoreless drought as the Lady Tigers rallied for their second consecutive win.
 
The Lady Tigers, who have won two consecutive games at the Puerto Rico Classic, led 17-16 after one quarter and took a 30-27 advantage into the half. Grambling State outscored the Lions, 23-14, in the third and led 53-41 entering the fourth period.
 
Hill, who averaged 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds during the Puerto Rico Classic, led Grambling State with a game-high 25 points, on 10-of-16 shooting, with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Jazmin Boyd added 12 points, five boards and five assists. Kendriana Washington scored eight points, along with two rebounds and two steals, while Forte recorded eight points, seven boards, one block and one steal.
 
Gabby Green paced Loyola Marymount (7-4) with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Jasmine Jones registered 13 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Bree Alford tallied a game-high 12 boards, with nine points, four steals and two assists.
 
Turning Point
Grambling State fell behind early, but rallied and took a 10-6 advantage after a Kendriana Washington layup with 6:06 left in the opening quarter. Loyola Marymount answered and grabbed an 11-10 lead after a Gabby Green bucket with 4:42 remaining.
 
The Lady Tigers grabbed a 14-11 advantage after a Jazmin Boyd layup with 3:03 left in the first and the Lions closed the gap to 17-16 at the end of one period.
 
Loyola Marymount opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run, capped by a Bree Alford 3-pointer to grab a 23-19 lead with 8:20 remaining. However, Grambling State responded with a 10-4 run over the final seven minutes to take a 30-27 advantage into the half.

The Lady Tigers stretched the lead to 36-29 after a Washington layup with 8:01 left in the third, but again the Lions kept the game close, trimming the deficit to 38-35 after a Raychel Stanley free throw with 6:06 remaining.
 
Grambling State closed out the third on a 15-6 run and took a 53-41 lead into the final quarter.
 
Loyola Marymount, which took advantage of a dry shooting spell from the floor by Grambling State, chipped away at the double-digit deficit and cut the margin to 57-56 after a 3-pointer by Chelsey Gipson with 3:35 remaining.
 
With Grambling State struggling from the field, the Lions took a 61-60 lead after a 3-pointer by Bree Alford with 15 seconds remaining.
 
That set the stage for Forte's putback as the Lady Tigers escaped with their second straight win.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State was 25-of-55 (40.0 percent) shooting and 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from the charity stripe
> Loyola Marymount shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the field and 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from the free-throw line
> GSU registered 38 rebounds, including 24 on the defensive glass
> The Lions pulled down 40 rebounds, with 26 coming on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished with 42 points in the paint, 16 points off 22 Lion turnovers, eight second-chance points, seven bench points and six fastbreak points
> Loyola Marymount tallied 28 points in the paint, 16 second-chance points, 12 points off 18 Lady Tiger turnovers, eight bench points and two fastbreak points
 
News & Notes
> This was the first meeting between Grambling State and Loyola Marymount
> Loyola Marymount came into the game unranked in the major polls, but was ranked No. 22 in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25
> Grambling State came into the game off a 67-53 setback to South Dakota and a 65-62 victory over Indiana
> Loyola Marymount entered the contest off back-to-back losses to Indiana (67-43) and South Dakota (67-40)
> Shakyla Hill earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors on Tuesday
> Grambling State is the lone SWAC school on LMU's schedule
> Grambling State, which last played a home game on Nov. 9 (McNeese State), is in the midst of an 12-game road swing, which includes the first two SWAC games (Alabama State and Alabama A&M)
 
Up Next
Grambling State will take a small break due to the holidays, but will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 30 against Oklahoma State. Tip-off against the Cowgirls is set for 1 p.m. in Stillwater, Okla.
 
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