MOBILE, Ala. | Four Grambling State University men's basketball players scored in double figures as the Tigers rolled to a 73-64 victory in the Inaugural Bridge Builder Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.
Grambling State led 37-34 at the break and never trailed in the second half in winning its fourth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Cameron Christon led Grambling State (8-12 overall, 6-2 SWAC) with a game-high 22 points, including going 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, one block and one steal. Tra'Michael Moton poured in 15 points, five boards and five assists, while Prince Moss registered 12 points and seven boards, along with a pair of assists. Shawndarius Cowart recorded 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists. Malik Lamin came off the bench and added nine points and nine rebounds.
Jayveous McKinnis paced Jackson State with a double-double of 16 rebounds and 15 points, along with seven blocked shots, two assists and one steal. Malachi Wideman chipped in 12 points and Justin Brown added 10 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Jackson State raced out to a 9-5 advantage after a pair of free throws by Malachi Wideman with 14:38 left in the first half
- Grambling State trailed, 19-13, after a 3-pointer by Wideman with 11:32 remaining
- A pair of free throws by Jayveous McKinnis gave JSU a 25-16 advantage – its largest lead of the day -- with 7:53 remaining
- However, Grambling State used a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to tie the game at 29 after a Tra'Michael Moton layup with 2:59 left
- A layup by Shawndarius Cowart gave GSU the 32-31 advantage with 1:30 left as Grambling State took a 37-34 lead into the break
- A Malik Lamin dunk with 17:50 remaining gave Grambling State a 41-35 lead
- Jackson State got a dunk by McKinnis with 13:10 left to cut the margin to 46-43
- However, Grambling State went on an 8-2 run, capped by a Cameron Christon three-point play as GSU extended the margin to 54-45
- Grambling State pushed the advantage to 59-54 after a layup by A'Mari McCray with just over minutes remaining as Jackson State could not recover from the big deficit
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the floor and 79.3 percent (23-of-29) from the free-throw line
- Cameron Christon poured in a game-high 22 points, with four rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal
- Tra'Michael Moton tallied 15 points, on 4-of-8 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists
- Price Moss registered 12 points, seven boards and two assists off the bench
- Shawndarius Cowart recorded 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals
- Grambling State finished with 26 points in the paint, 21 bench points, 14 points off 16 Jackson State turnovers, five second-chance points and four fastbreak points
- Jackson State shot 28.6 percent (16-of-56) from the field and 72.7 percent (24-of-33) from the charity stripe
- Jayveous McKinnis led the way offensively with 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds
- Malachi Wideman came off the bench to provide 12 points and five rebounds
- Justin Brown tallied 10 points, along with four rebounds
- Jackson State finished with 26 bench points, 19 points in the paint, 11 points off 12 Grambling State turnovers, 11 second-chance points and five fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Grambling State concludes its two-game road swing on Monday at Alcorn State. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. from the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
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