LORMAN, Miss. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team led by as many as 20 points and saw the advantage dwindle to one, but pulled away late to defeat Alcorn State, 65-53, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Monday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
Grambling State (13-11 overall, 7-4 SWAC) led at the break, 32-16, and held a 42-22 advantage with 14:40 left. Alcorn State (8-15, 4-7) used a 19-0 run over a five minute stretch to cut the margin to 42-41 with 9:55 remaining. However, the Braves could not complete the rally as the Tigers pulled away late to complete a season sweep of Alcorn State.
 
Ivy Smith, Jr. led three Grambling State players in double figures with 16 points. He shot 5-for-8 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the foul line and added five assists, four steals and three rebounds. Devante Jackson chipped in 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block, while Dallas Polk-Hilliard registered 10 points, rebounds boards and two blocks.
 
Troymain Crosby paced Alcorn State with 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and one block. Reginal Johnson added 14 points, while Maurice Howard poured in 11 points.
 
Turning Point
Grambling State opened the game on a 12-0 run, capped by a pair of Ivy Smith, Jr. free throws with 15:04 remaining and the Tigers extended the margin to 30-11 after a Travon Bunch layup with just over four minutes left in  the first half.
 
The Braves slowly battled back and closed the gap to 32-16 at the break.
 
Alcorn State climbed all the way back from a 19-point deficit to close the gap to 42-41 after a Reginal Johnson 3-pointer with just under three minutes remaining. A Devante Jackson dunk moments later extended the slim margin to 44-41 with 9:26 left.
 
The Tigers slowly pulled away and took a 56-45 advantage after a Smith jumper with 5:17 remaining.
 
Alcorn State could not recover down the stretch as Grambling State picked up their fourth straight victory.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the floor and 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the charity stripe
> Alcorn State was 20-of-60 (33.3 percent) from the field and 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 36 rebounds, including 29 on the defensive glass
> The Braves pulled down 38 rebounds, with 16 coming on the offensive end
> Grambling State finished with 30 points in the paint, 13 bench points, 11 points off 14 Brave turnovers, four second-chance points and two fastbreak points
> Alcorn State recorded 24 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points, nine points off 13 Tiger turnovers, eight fastbreak points and six bench points
 
News & Notes
> Grambling State completes its second consecutive season sweep of Alcorn State
> The Tigers predicted to win the conference and are defending its regular season crown
> Grambling State leads the conference in 11 different categories
> Dallas Polk-Hilliard paces the Tigers with seven double-doubles
> Ivy Smith, Jr. leads the conference in assists per game, free-throws made and total assists
 
Up Next
Grambling State returns home on Saturday to take on Texas Southern. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. from the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Grambling State will be seeking its second consecutive season sweep of Texas Southern.
 
Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathletics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.