GRAMBLING, La. | Five players scored in double figures as the Grambling State University men's basketball team got back into the win column with a 101-42 rout in its final non-conference game against North American University on Thursday night at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Grambling State (7-5), which held North American to just 15 field goals, led by 20 points, 47-27, at the half and outscored the Stallions (0-15) 54-15 in the second half in getting back into the win column after losses to Virginia Tech and Liberty.

Shawndarius Cowart paced the Tigers by going 8-of-16 from the floor for 19 points, five assists, five steals and three rebounds. Cameron Christon posted 18 points, including a blistering four 3-pointers, along with nine boards, four assists and a pair of blocked shots. Jourdan Smith and Jonathan Aku registered GSU career highs with 16 points apiece. Smith tallied four assists, four boards and two steals, while Aku added seven boards, two assists and one steal. Virshon Cotton recorded 10 points four boards four assists and a pair of steals.

Kiante Kizzie led the Stallions with 13 points, four boards three steals, three blocks and a pair of assists. Kenneth Love chipped in nine points, two steals and one rebound.

Grambling State led 30-15 through the first 10 minutes as Cowart drained a 3-pointer and a Cotton layup gave the Tigers a 35-18 advantage with 6:01 remaining in the opening half.

A Love 3-pointer closed the gap to 35-21 with 4:57 left in the first, but the Tigers used a 12-6 run to take a commanding 47-27 lead into the break.

The Tigers pushed the advantage to 51-27 on a pair of free throws by Aku with 17:25 remaining and GSU extended the lead to 62-29 after a trey by Cotton with just over 14 minutes to play.

North American closed the margin to 67-37 with 10:49 left, but never got any closer down the stretch as Grambling State picked up its largest victory of the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Grambling State shot 54.7 percent (35-of-64) from the floor and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) from the free-throw line
• Shawndarius Cowart recorded 19 points, five assists, five steals and three rebounds
• Cameron Christon posted 18 points, including a blistering four 3-pointers, along with nine boards, four assists and a pair of blocked shots
• Jourdan Smith tallied 16 points, four assists, four boards and two steals
• Jonathan Aku added seven boards, two assists and one steal. 
• Virshon Cotton recorded 10 points four boards four assists and a pair of steals.
• The Tigers finished with a season-high 52 points in the paint, 31 points off 24 North American turnovers, 22 bench points, 21 second-chance points and eight fast break points
• North American went 15-of-56 (26.8 percent) shooting and 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from the charity stripe
• Kiante Kizzie registered 13 points, four boards three steals, three blocks and a pair of assists
• Kenneth Love chipped in nine points, two steals and one rebound
• The Stallions finished with 16 points in the paint, 13 points off 14 Grambling State turnovers, nine bench points, eight second-chance points and two fast break points

UP NEXT 
Grambling State returns to action by opening Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play on Monday as the Tigers visit Prairie View A&M. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. from the William J. Nicks Baby Dome.

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