LAS VEGAS, Nev. | The Grambling State University women's basketball team fell to Missouri-Kansas City 78-55 in the opening game of the UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament at the Cox Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UMKC (5-1) sprinted to a quick 14-2 lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter. GSU (2-3) cut the lead to seven, trailing 17-10 heading into the second period.
• Justice Coleman opened the scoring in the second frame with a layup, pulling the Lady Tigers within five, 17-12, with 9:47 left until halftime.
• The Kangaroos, continued to impose their will, building a 36-22 lead at the break.
• Grambling State trimmed the lead down to single-digits, 38-29, on a Cierra Ellington three-pointer with 8:10 to play in the third.
• UMKC completed the third quarter on a 20-7 run, carrying a 58-36 advantage into the final period.
• The Kangaroos led by as much as the 32 in the fourth quarter, but The Lady Tigers finished the game with a 14-5 run.

 INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Lady Tigers shot 22-of-58 from the field (37.9 percent)
• The Kangaroos went 30-of-62 on field goal attempts (48.4 percent)
• Grambling State connected on 4-of-14 shots from three-point range (28.6 percent)
• Missouri-Kansas City drained 8-of-21 from behind the arc (38.1 percent)
• GSU hit on 43.8 percent of its free throws (7-of-16)
• UMKC sank 10-of-13 attempts from the free-throw line (76.9 percent)
• The Lady Tigers scored 16 points off of 21 turnovers
• The Kangaroos tallied 11 points on 16 turnovers
• GSU held a 30-23 advantage in bench points
• The Kangaroos led the Lady Tigers in second-chance points 15-4
• GSU was outscored 38-30 in the paint
• Ellington led GSU with 8 points. 15 different Lady Tigers cracked the scoring column
• UMKC's Naomie Alnatas scored a game-high 18 points

UP NEXT
Grambling State wraps up tournament play versus tournament host UNLV on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
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