STILLWATER, Okla. | The Grambling State University women's basketball team suffered an 86-40 setback in its final non-conference game to Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon at Eddie Sutton Court at the Gallagher-Iba Arena.
 
Grambling State (3-9) trailed by just one at the end of one period, 13-12, but were outscored in the second period, 23-10, as Oklahoma State took a 36-22 lead into the break. The Cowgirls (9-2) continued to take advantage of the sluggish shooting by Grambling State in the third quarter and outscored the Lady Tigers, 27-10, to take a 63-32 lead into the final period.
 
Shakyla Hill, the back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Player of the Week, paced the Lady Tigers with 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and one assist. Jazmin Boyd added seven points, three boards and one assist.
 
Braxtin Miller led Oklahoma State with a game-high 22 points, five assists and three rebounds. Maria Castro chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two assists and one block. Vivian Gray finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, along with four assists, two steals and one blocked shot, while Mariam Gnanou also recorded 11 points, with eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
 
Turning Point
Grambling State grabbed a slim, 6-5, lead after a Shakyla Hill layup with 6:19 left in the opening period, but Oklahoma State outscored the Lady Tigers during the final six minutes, 8-6, to take a 13-12 advantage into the second period.
 
The Cowgirls opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run, capped by a Braxtin Miller jumper to give Oklahoma State a 24-12 lead with just under six minutes remaining. Grambling State closed the gap to 28-20 after a pair of free throws by Jazmin Boyd with 2:45 left.
 
However, Oklahoma State closed out the first half on an 8-2 run to take a 36-22 advantage into the half.
 
The Cowgirls put the game out of reach in the third quarter by outscoring the Lady Tigers, 27-10 and taking a 63-32 lead into the final period.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State was 12-of-68 (17.6 percent) shooting and 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) from the charity stripe
> Oklahoma State shot 39.7 percent (29-of-73) from the field and 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the free-throw line
> GSU registered 47 rebounds, including 20 on the offensive glass
> The Cowgirls pulled down 58 rebounds, with 40 coming on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished with 16 points in the paint, 15 fastbreak points, 14 bench points, seven second-chance points and one point off 10 Cowgirl turnovers
> Oklahoma State tallied 34 points in the paint, 26 bench points, 20 second-chance points, 18 fastbreak points and 18 points off 17 Lady Tiger turnovers
 
News & Notes
> This was the seventh meeting between Grambling State and Oklahoma State
> Oklahoma State improved to 5-2 all-time against Grambling State
> The last Lady Tigers victory against Oklahoma State came in 1994 (88-69)
> Grambling State came into the game off a 67-53 setback to South Dakota, a 65-62 victory over Indiana and a 62-61 win over Loyola Marymount
> Oklahoma State was playing its second SWAC school this season (Prairie View A&M – Nov. 15)
> Shakyla Hill earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors on Tuesday
> 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)
> Under Freddie Murray, the Lady Tigers fell to 0-8 all-time in games played on Sunday
 
Up Next
Grambling State opens Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play with a road trip to Alabama as the Lady Tigers take on Alabama State on Saturday. Tip-off against the Lady Hornets is set for 3 p.m. at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome in Montgomery, Ala.
 
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