GRAMBLING, La. | Shakyla Hill flirted with a triple double as she was one rebound shy as the Grambling State University women's basketball team clinched home court for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opening round with a 73-63 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
Hill, who registered a quadruple double on Jan. 3 against Alabama State, had 13 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds at the break. She ended the day with 22 points, 11 assists, nine boards and seven steals to pace the Grambling State offense. Jazmin Boyd registered 17 points, on 5-of-10 shooting, with two assists and two rebounds, while Justice Coleman added 11 points, three rebounds and one assist.
 
Grambling State (14-12 overall, 11-4 SWAC), which captured its second consecutive victory, led for nearly the entire game as the Lady Tigers took a 21-10 advantage into the second quarter. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-20, 4-12) out-scored Grambling State in the second, 15-14, but trailed 35-25 at intermission. The Lady Golden Lions chipped away at the deficit in the third as the Lady Tigers took a 48-41 advantage into the final period.
 
Malik Muhammad paced Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 15 points, on 5-of-8 shooting, and five rebounds. Destiny Brewton tallied 13 points, a team-high seven assists, two boards and one steal, while Faith Ohanta chipped in with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 

Catch the highlights of the WBB victory over @UAPBLionsRoar, including @shakylaa_ and her half-court shot @ESPNU @espn @ESPNTop #GramFam pic.twitter.com/ghbjow5HHd

— GSU Athletics (@GSU_TIGERS) February 25, 2018

Turning Point
Arkansas-Pine Bluff took an early, 8-6, lead after a 3-pointer by Muhammad, but Grambling State dominated the final six and half minutes of the first quarter, outscoring the Lady Golden Lions, 15-2, as Hill buried a 3-pointer from nearly half court as time expired to give Grambling State a 21-10 lead.
 
Grambling State pushed the advantage to as many as 15 points, 29-14, after a 3-pointer by Ariel Williams with 4:43 left in the first half, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff rallied and cut the margin to 35-25 at the break.
 
The Lady Golden Lions continued to chip away at the deficit, trimming the margin to 37-33 after a free throw by Ohanta with 6:39 left in the third. The Lady Tigers responded with an 11-3 run, capped by a Williams layup with 2:39 remaining.
 
Back came Arkansas-Pine Bluff as the Lady Golden Lions cut the margin to 48-41 at the end of three quarters.
 
Arkansas-Pine Bluff never got any closer than six points, 61-55, during the final three minutes as Grambling State picked up its second consecutive SWAC win.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Grambling State shot 27-of-56 (48.2 percent) from the floor and 12-of-18 (66.7%) from the free-throw line.
• The Lady Tigers was 22-of-50 (44.0 percent) shooting and 13-of-20 (65.0 percent) from the charity stripe.
• The Lady Golden Lions recorded 30 rebounds, with 25 off the defensive glass.
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff registered 33 rebounds, with 27 coming on the defensive end.
• Grambling State finished with 34 points in the paint, 10 bench points, eight second-chance points and 23 points off turnovers.
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff tallied 26 points in the paint, 18 points, 11 second-chance points and eight points off turnovers.

 
News and Notes

• Grambling State head coach Freddie Murray is 25-8 in SWAC play in his two years at the helm.
• The Lady Tigers swept the season series over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
• Monisha Neal was recognized in between games during Senior Day.

 
Up Next
Grambling State wraps up its home portion of its schedule on Monday, Feb. 26 against Mississippi Valley State. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. from the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
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