PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas | Alexus Holt scored 12 of her team-high 19 points in the first half, but it wasn't enough as the Grambling State University women's basketball team fell behind by eight early in the fourth quarter and could not recover in falling, 71-63, to Prairie View A&M in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Monday night at the William J. Hicks Baby Dome.
Grambling State (10-14 overall, 7-6 SWAC) trailed multiple times by eight points during the final quarter and cut the deficit to 65-63 with a little less than two minutes left, but could not overcome the deficit.
Holt shot 7-of-13 from the floor to lead all Grambling State scorers with 19 points, along with five assists, two rebounds and two steals. Justice Coleman poured in 15 points, with seven boards, three assists and three steals.
Diana Rosenthal paced Prairie View A&M (11-13, 8-5) with a game-high 25 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Kennedi Heard added 13 points, six boards, four assists and four steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Grambling State raced out to a. 7-5 lead, but Prairie View A&M used a 9-0 run over a three-minute stretch to take a 14-7 advantage after a jumper by Gerlyn Smith with 4:41 remaining in the opening frame
- Both teams went cold shooting as the Lady Tigers went the final 4:21 without a bucket from the field as the Lady Panthers took a 16-11 lead into the second period
- Grambling State used an 8-0 run over a three-plus minute stretch and got buckets by Deandre'a Alexander, Justice Coleman, Leah Morrow and Alexus Holt to grab a 21-19 lead with five and half minutes left in the first half
- The Lady Tigers went more than four minutes without a basket, but got a 3-pionter by Colbi Maples to take a 26-24 advantage with 40 seconds remaining
- Prairie View A&M got a 3-pointer by Kennedi Heard right before the break as the Lady Panthers took a slim 27-26 lead into the half
- A jumper by Diana Rosenthal gave PVAMU a 36-31 lead with 6:28 remaining in the third
- Grambling State battled back, using an 8-0 run to grab a 45-40 lead after a Coleman 3-pointer with a little more than three minutes left
- Prairie View A&M answered with an 9-0 run, capped by a Rosenthal three-point play, giving the Lady Panthers a 48-45 advantage with just over a minute remaining
- A 3-pointer by Rosenthal and a layup by Heard gave Prairie View A&M a 54-48 lead entering the final quarter
- The Lady Tigers cut the deficit to 58-53 after a three-point play by Coleman, but back came PVAMU as Heard drained a trey, extending the margin to 61-53 with 7:22 left
- Buckets by Jasmine Forte, Coleman and Ariel Williams trimmed the margin to 65-63 with 1:47 remaining
- A three-point play by Jessica Soders extended the PVAMU lead to 68-63 with 1:30 left
- Prairie View A&M sealed the game at the foul line in handing Grambling State its second consecutive loss
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the field and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the free-throw line
- Alexus Holt recorded 19 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals
- Justice Coleman tallied 15 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals
- The Lady Tigers finished with 30 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 18 points off 17 PVAMU turnovers, 14 fastbreak points and 11 second-chance points
- Prairie View A&M shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the charity stripe
- Diana Rosenthal led PVAMU with 25 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Kennedi Heard chipped in 13 points, six boards, four assists and four steals
- The Lady Panthers finished with 30 points in the paint, 24 fastbreak points, 22 points off 18 GSU turnovers, 18 bench points and nine second-chance points
SWAC STANDINGS
- Grambling State entered the night in a four-way tie for third in the standings with Prairie View A&M, Alabama A&M and Texas Southern
- The Tigers sit one game-back in the standings of the second spot, currently held by Alabama State and Southern
- Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M hold the tiebreaker over Grambling State by virtue of a season sweep
UP NEXT
Grambling State wraps up its three-game road swing on Saturday at rival Southern. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. from the F.G. Clark Activity Center.
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