General | 1/21/2020 3:17:00 AM
Box Score GRAMBLING, La. | The battle of the Tigers proved to be a great showdown on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as both teams were tied at 29 apiece at halftime, but in the end turnovers doomed Grambling as Texas Southern held on for the 68-61 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. The loss is the Tigers' third in a row in a game that was dubbed the annual "Coaches vs. Cancer" game for Suits and Sneakers week. Coaches from both teams wore tennis shoes with their suits to raise cancer awareness in conjunction with the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Grambling (9-10, 3-3 SWAC) managed 32 points in the paint but missed key opportunities down the stretch. Texas Southern capitalized on Grambling's errors and scored 17 points off of turnovers. Early in the second half, Texas Southern produced a 10-0 run which gave them enough distance down the stretch to defeat Grambling on the road.
The Tigers generated three scorers in double-figures including
Devante Jackson and
Trevell Cunningham who both finished with 10 points and five rebounds each while senior point guard
Ivy Smith, Jr. led Grambling with a team-high 14 points and hit 5-of-7 free throws. Smith also grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists in the loss.
As a team Grambling dominated the boards 44-29, but committed 18 turnovers while Texas Southern produced just 12 of their own.
Transfer redshirt sophomore guard
Cameron Christon added seven points and five rebounds and had a handful of amazing dunks.
The Tigers were led by Tyrik Armstrong who finished with 17 points, two boards, two assists and two steals while teammate Bryson Etienne added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists and four turnovers in the win.
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 39 percent (24-of-62) from the floor and 61 percent (11-of-18) from the charity stripe
> Texas Southern was 21-of-53 (40 percent) from the field and 21-of-30 (70 percent) from the foul line
> GSU registered 44 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive glass
> Texas Southern pulled down 29 rebounds, with 23 coming on the defensive end
> The Tigers (GSU) finished with 32 points in the paint, 15 bench points, seven second-chance points and five fast break points
> The Tigers (TSU) recorded 28 points in the paint, 28 bench points, eight second-chance points and 18 fast break points
Up Next
The Tigers continue conference play on Saturday, January 25 as they travel to Mississippi to face Jackson State University. Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center in the second of two games of the SWAC doubleheader.
Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, 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.
