GRAMBLING, La. | Alexus Holt scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the second half and Trasity Totten did all her damage in the first half as the Grambling State University women's basketball team rolled to its second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory, 76-61, on Saturday on the Wills Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Holt, who had just five points at the half, poured in 23 points, on 7-of-16 shooting, along with three 3-pointers and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She added eight rebounds, six steals and four assists. Totten scored all 14 of her points in the first half and pulled down five boards, with three steals. Leah Morrow tallied nine points, three rebounds and one assist.
Sarah Moore and Mikayla Etienne each registered 16 points to lead Mississippi Valley State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Grambling State (6-11 overall, 3-3 SWAC) started slow as Mississippi Valley State build a slim, 5-0 lead early
- The Lady Tigers battled back and grabbed a 13-9 advantage after a jumper by Trasity Totten with 2:14 left in the opening frame
- A three-point play by Zakiya Mahoney cut the margin to 13-12 as the two teams entered the second stanza
- Grambling State used a 11-0 run, capped by a Kaci Chairs 3-pointer, to take its largest lead of the first half at 24-12 with 7:20 remaining in the second
- However, Mississippi Valley State closed the final seven minutes strong, cutting the deficit to 29-26 after a Da'Sha McGloster trey right before the half
- The Devilettes (2-13, 1-6) erased the 12-point first-half deficit by taking a 30-29 advantage after a Mikayla Etienne bucket with 8:24 left in the third
- Grambling State slowly responded and started to put some distance, taking a 47-38 lead after an Alexus Holt 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining in the frame
- A layup by Ariel Williams with 19 seconds left in the quarter gave the Lady Tigers a 51-40 advantage
- GSU continued to push the margin, extending the lead to 56-40 after a Holt layup early in the final quarter
- Mississippi Valley State closed the gap to 11 numerous times but could not recover from the big deficit
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the floor and 76.9 percent (6-of-15) from the free-throw line
- The Lady Tigers finished with 34 points in the paint, 26 points off 22 MVSU turnovers, 14 bench points, 12 fastbreak points and three second-chance points
- Alexus Holt, who has 13 double-digit scoring performances this season and six over 20 points, led the Lady Tigers with 23 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists
- Trasity Totten chipped in with 14 first-half points, along with five boards and three steals
- Mississippi Valley State shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from the charity stripe
- Sarah Moore recorded 16 points, on 7-of-13 shooting, with eight rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Mikayla Etienne registered 16 points, six boards, two steals, two assists and one blocked shot
- The Devilettes finished with 28 points in the paint, 16 points off 17 GSU turnovers, 15 bench points, nine second-chance points and four fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Grambling State wraps up its three-game homestand on the Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Center on Monday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
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