MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Shakyla Hill scored 20 of her game-high 32 points in the second half as the Grambling State University women's basketball team outlasted Alabama State and spoiled the Lady Hornets' Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener with an 80-72 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
 
Grambling State (4-9 overall, 1-0 SWAC) led 17-15 at the one quarter and outscored Alabama State in the second, 23-17, to take a 40-32 advantage into the half. The Lady Hornets (1-11, 0-1) outscored Grambling State, 22-16, and closed the gap to 22-16 to set the stage for an exciting fourth quarter.
 
Hill, who played all 40 minutes, led all scorers with 32 points, on 10-of-26 shooting from the floor, but was 12-of-14 from, the free-throw line. She also added six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Justice Coleman registered 13 points, eight boards, two assists and two steals, while Camryn London recorded a career-high 13 points, including four 3-pointers, along with three rebounds, two steals and one assist.
 
Ayana Emmanuel paced Alabama State with 30 points, on 10-of-13 from the field, along with three rebounds and one steal. Jayla Crawford tallied 18 points, two boards, one assist and one steal, while Shmya Ward registered 17 points, five rebounds, three blocks, one steal and one assist.
 
Turning Point
Gambling State led by a slim, 17-15, margin at the end of one period, took a 25-20 advantage after a Camryn Long 3-pointer with 6:50 remaining in the first half.
 
Alabama State closed the gap to 26-24 after two free throws by Ayana Emmanuel with 5:48 left, but the Lady Tigers pushed the margin to 30-26 after another trey by London with just over five minutes remaining.
 
The Lady Hornets cut the deficit to 30-28 with a Emmanuel layup, but Grambling State closed out the first half on a 10-4 run to take a 40-32 advantage into the break.
 
The Lady Tigers led 44-36, after a free throw by Justice Coleman with 7:48 remaining in the third, but the Lady Hornets continued to keep the game close and cut the deficit to 56-54 heading into the final period.
 
Alabama State tied the game at 60 with 6:40 left after a pair of free throws by Jayla Crawford, but Grambling State used a 12-5 run, capped on a Shakyla Hill bucket, to give the Lady Tigers a 72-65 lead with 1:59 remaining.
 
The Lady Hornets closed the gap to 75-72 after a Crawford layup with 31 seconds left. However, that would be as close as Alabama State would get as Hill four out of the final five points to give Grambling State the 80-72 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State was 28-of-70 (40.0 percent) shooting and 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) from the charity stripe
> Alabama State shot 49.0 percent (25-of-51) from the field and 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the free-throw line
> The Lady Tigers registered 40 rebounds, including 18 on the offensive glass
> The Lady Hornets pulled down 36 rebounds, with 26 coming on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished with 34 points in the paint, 22 points off 22 Lady Hornet turnovers, 15 second-chance points and 15 bench points
> Alabama State tallied 34 points in the paint, eight points off 17 Lady Tiger turnovers, five bench points and three second-chance points
> The score was tied 11 times and there were four lead changes
 
News & Notes
> Grambling State swept the season series last year
> Grambling State, which last played a home game on Nov. 9 (McNeese State), is in the midst of an 12-game road swing
> Shakyla Hill has posted double figures in scoring in 11-of-12 games this season
> Shakyla Hill has scored 15 or more points in 59 times in her collegiate career
> Lady Tigers head coach Freddie Murray improved to 4-1 all-time against Alabama State
> Freddie Murray now sits eight wins shy of 50 for his collegiate career
> Grambling State has now won three straight in Montgomery, Ala.
 
Up Next
Grambling State concludes its 12-game road trip on Monday against Alabama A&M. Tip-off against the Lady Bulldogs is set for 5:30 p.m. in Huntsville, Ala.
 
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