PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas | The Grambling State University men's basketball team trailed by as many as 31 points early in the second half and nearly made a huge comeback as the Tigers fell to Prairie View A&M, 83-66, on Monday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) at the Nicks Recreation Center.
 
Grambling State (9-10 overall, 3-3 SWAC) trailed 48-19 at the break as the Tigers committed 18 turnovers, which were converted into 31 Panther points. GSU rallied in the second half and trimmed the deficit to 11 points with 6:11 left, but could not complete the comeback.
 
Ivy Smith, Jr. paced Grambling State with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Dallas Polk-Hilliard added 10 points, four blocks, three boards and one steal, while Travon Bunch posted a career-high 10 points two assists and two rebounds. Axel Mpoyo registered a double-double of 11 rebounds and 10 points, along with one steal and one assist.
 
Gary Blackston led four Panther players in double figures with 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dennis Jones recorded 16 points, four assists, three boards, two steals and one block, while Devonte Patterson and Taishaun Johnson added 13 points each.
 
Turning Point
Prairie View A&M (7-11, 5-0) raced out to a 7-2 advantage after an Iwin Ellis layup with 17:41 left in the first half. Grambling State closed the gap to 15-12 after a Travon Bunch dunk with 12:13 remaining.
 
However, the Panthers used a 12-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 27-16 lead after a Taishaun Johnson layup with 6:33 left.
 
Prairie View A&M continued to push the advantage and stretched the lead to 36-17 with 3:51 remaining in the first half after a 3-pointer by Chancellor Ellis.
 
The Panthers extended the lead to 48-19 at the half as Prairie View A&M took advantage of 18 first-half Tiger turnovers, converting them into 31 points.
 
Grambling State trailed, 51-20 after a free throw by Ellis, with just over 18 minutes remaining, but the Tigers refused to give up and used a 15-2 run during a four-minute stretch to close the gap to 53-35 after two free throws by Ivy Smith, Jr.
 
Prairie View A&M's lead dwindled down to 15 points, 65-50 after two Dallas Polk-Hilliard free throws with 7:42 left, and a Smith jumper cut the margin to 65-54 with a little more than six minutes remaining.
 
However, the Tigers could not get any closer than 11 points down the stretch as Prairie View A&M picked up the conference win.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 56.4 percent (22-of-39) from the floor and 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the charity stripe
> Prairie View A&M was 26-of-58 (44.85 percent) from the field and 25-of-39 (64.1 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 29 rebounds, including 25 on the defensive glass
> The Panthers pulled down 32 rebounds, with 14 coming on the offensive end
> Grambling State finished with 32 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 11 points off 11 Panther turnovers and six second-chance points
> Prairie View A&M recorded 44 points off 26 Tiger turnovers, 36 points in the paint, 19 bench points, 15 second-chance points and four fastbreak points
 
News & Notes
> Grambling State swept the season series last year
> The Tigers predicted to win the conference and are defending its regular season crown
> Grambling State leads the conference in 13 different categories
> Dallas Polk-Hilliard paces the SWAC in double-doubles with six
> Ivy Smith, Jr. leads the conference in assists per game, free-throws made and total assists
> Travon Bunch posted a career-high 10 points as his previous high was nine against Champion Baptist earlier this season
> Axel Mpoyo registered his second double-double of the season and his fifth career double-double
 
Up Next
Grambling State completed its Texas road swing and returns home on Saturday to face Jackson State. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. from the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
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