General | 1/6/2020 6:41:00 PM

Box Score GRAMBLING, La. | Despite opening the game on a 10-0 run, the Lady Tigers fell 73-59 to Alabama State in Southwestern Athletic Conference action at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Grambling was outrebounded 34-20 in the contest.

"It was a tale of two halves," said Coach Freddie Murray. "We won the first two quarters and they won the second two quarters. Down the stretch they just wanted it more than we did. We are still growing as a basketball team; we lost 95 percent of our production and they returned their whole team back. They have chemistry and it shows in these type of games."

The Lady Tigers (2-11, 1-1 SWAC) lead 17-11 at the end of the first quarter and dominated the entire first half. Grambling led 35-24 at the break thanks to stellar bench play from Candice Parramore who had eight points at the break. However, Grambling was outscored 48-25 in the second half thanks to stellar defense from Alabama State.

Alexus Holt led the way for Grambling as she finished with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. Holt was a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe while Parramore finished with 11 points. Jasmine Forte produced four points and six boards in the loss while fellow Lady Tiger Justice Coleman nine points and two steals in the loss.

"We are still trying to figure out what we have as a basketball team," said Coach Murray. "It was the second game of conference play and we still have 16 games left. It's going to be up and down for the year, but we will learn from this and hopefully carry it through the next couple of games this weekend." 

The Lady Hornets generated three scorers in double-figures as Ayana Emmanuel finished with a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds, seven turnovers and six assists while teammate Tyesha Rudolph produced 17 points and eight rebounds in the win.

Coach Murray was not shy about his reasoning behind why his team lost control of the glass.

"They had the will to win, the will to get a rebound, and the will to get to the basket and score points," said Coach Murray. "When you want it more than your opponent does, when you play the hardest out of both teams, you will reap the benefits. One thing coaches can't do is play the game for players; either you want it or you don't."

Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 33 percent (20-of-61) from the floor and 82 percent (14-of-17) from the charity stripe
> Alabama State was 27-of-52 (52 percent) from the field and 17-of-21 (81 percent) from the foul line
> GSU registered 20 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass
> Alabama State pulled down 34 rebounds, with 22 coming on the defensive end
> The Lady Tigers finished with 26 points in the paint, 15 bench points, nine second-chance points and 14 fast break points
> The Lady Hornets recorded 36 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 22 second-chance points and seven fast break points

Up Next
The Lady Tigers continue conference play on Saturday, January 11 as they travel to Baton Rouge to face Southern University. Tip-off against the Lady Jaguars is set for 3 p.m. at the F.G. Clark Activity Center in the first of two games of the SWAC doubleheader. The men's game will follow shortly after.
 
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