GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team handed Southern University their first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) loss with an 83-77 victory at Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center on Saturday afternoon.
Cameron Christon banked a clutch 3-pointer with 1:16 left to give the Tigers a six-point lead, 77-71. Christon finished the night with 23 points, including 11-for-11 at the free-throw line. Tra'Michael Moton registered 16 points, two rebounds and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Grambling State (5-12 overall, 3-2 SWAC) raced out to a 13-7 advantage after a Cameron Christon bucket five minutes into the game
- The Tigers took a nine-point lead, 22-13, as A'Mari McCray scored on a layup with 12:23 left in the first half
- Southern clawed their way back, tying the the game at 28 with 7:36 remaining in the first half
- The Jaguars got a bucket by Tyrone Lyons with 1:31 left as Southern held a slim 44-43 lead to enter the break
- Neither team broke loose early in the second half until Grambling State took a 67-62 lead after a pair of free throws by AJ Taylor
- Southern closed the gap to 70-68 after two free throws by Isaiah Rollins with just over three minutes remaining
- Grambling State responded with an 8-2 run, capped by a free throw by Prince Moss as the Tigers pushed the margin to 78-71 with 55 seconds left
- The Jaguars could not recover as Grambling State picked up the rivalry win
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the floor and 71.1 percent (27-of-38) from the free-throw line
- The Tigers finished with 31 bench points, 26 points in the paint, 12 second-chance points and five points off 10 Southern turnovers
- Southern University shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the field and 68 percent (17-of-25) from the charity stripe
- Tyrone Lyons paced the Jaguars with 25 points
- P.J. Byrd registered 13 points, six assists and two rebounds
- The Jaguars finished with 27 bench points, 24 points in the paint, 15 points off 11 Grambling State turnovers and two second-chance points
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center next Saturday to host Mississippi Valley State University. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.
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