LORMAN, Miss. | Cameron Christon scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the first half as the Grambling State University men's basketball team ran its win streak to five games by holding off Alcorn State, 80-73, on Monday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Christon was on fire in the first half and grabbed a career high with 25 points to leading the Tigers offense. He also added two rebounds, two assists and one steal. Shawndarius Cowart scored all 15 of his points in the second half, along with seven rebounds. Tra'Michael Moton went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line and finished with 14 points, five assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds. Eric Parish pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
Dominic Brewton led Alcorn State (7-14 overall, 6-3 SWAC) with 16 points, six boards, three assists and two steals. Keondre Montgomery registered 14 points, seven boards and two blocked shots. Byron Johnson chipped in with 11 points, five boards, two steals and two assists, while Justin Thomas tallied 11 points, six assists, three steals and three rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Grambling State (9-12, 7-2) raced out to a 10-4 advantage after a pair of free throws by Tra'Michael Moton with just over 14 minutes remaining in the opening half
- Alcorn State rallied and took a 14-13 lead after a dunk by Keondre Montgomery with 10:21 left
- With the score tied at 19, the Tigers used a 15-5 run, capped by a Cameron Christon 3-pointer, as Grambling State built a 34-24 advantage with 3:10 remaining
- The Tigers extended the lead to 36-24, but the Braves cut the margin to 36-26 at the half
- GSU pushed the margin to 42-28 after a layup by Malik Lamin with 17:28 left
- However, the Braves slowly trimmed the deficit, cutting the GSU lead to 49-41 after a pair of free throws by Ladarius Marshall with 10:41 remaining
- But every time Alcorn State closed the gap, Grambling State pushed the margin, extending the lead to 60-49 after a layup with 6:56 left
- The Braves closed the margin to 66-62 after a bucket by Dominic Brewton with 3:44 remaining, but that would be as close as Alcorn State would get down the stretch
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the floor and 80.6 percent (29-of-36) from the free-throw line
- Cameron Christon scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the first half
- Shawndarius Cowart registered all 15 of his points in the second half, including a thunderous dunk
- Tra'Michael Moton poured in 14 points, including going 10-for-10 at the free-throw line
- Shawndarius Cowart recorded 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals
- Grambling State finished with 34 points in the paint, 20 points off 14 Alcorn State turnovers, 15 bench points, 12 second-chance points and two fastbreak points
- Alcorn State shot 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from the field and 70.0 percent (21-of-30) from the charity stripe
- Domnic Brewtonl paced the Braves with 16 points and six rebounds
- Keondre Montgomery added 14 points and seven boards
- Byron Joshua and Justin Thomas each recorded 11 points
- Alcorn State finished with 44 bench points, 30 points in the paint, 17 points off 15 Grambling State turnovers, eight second-chance points and eight fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Grambling State looks to continue its win streak on Saturday against Alabama State. Tip-off on the Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center is set for 2:30 p.m.
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