BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Jourdan Smith scored a game-high 23 points as the Grambling State University men's basketball team opened the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament with a dominating 87-72 victory over Bethune-Cookman on at Bartow Arena on Wednesday afternoon.

Smith went 10-for-13 from the field while grabbing eight rebounds and making three blocks, helping guide the Tigers' to its 10th consecutive win and its 23rd victory of the season, its most ever as members of Division I. 

Cameron Christon, the 2023 SWAC Player of the Year, also had a big day for the Tigers, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the first half. He knocked down 8 of his 11 attempts from the field, including going 3-of-5 from three-point range. The Allen, Texas native was also active on defense, racking up five steals. 

Grambling State (23-8) only trailed once in the contest when BCU (12-20) scored the first bucket of game. The Tigers out-powered the Wildcats, using a 20-8 run to open up a 10-point lead with 11:45 to go in the half. 

GSU continued to put pressure on BCU, opening up a 30-12 on a 3-pointer by Version Cotton at the 9:15 mark. Grambling State extended its advantage to 20 points, 41-21, on a layup by Jonathan Aku with 4:32 remaining. Aku was the third-leading scorer from GSU, registering 15 points. 

The Tigers carried a 47-27 lead into the break. 

In the second half, GSU continued to build upon its lead. Christon handed the Tigers its largest lead of the afternoon, 60-37, with 15:06 left in the game. 

The Wildcats never threatened GSU in the period, as the Tigers sailed to the 87-72 triumph. 

For the game, the Tigers connected on 54.1 percent of its shots from the floor (33-of-61), including going 7-of-11 from behind the arc. GSU once again held a team to under 40 percent, as BCU went just 15-of-40 on its field goal attempts (37.7 percent). 

Grambling State also dominated the boards, out rebounding BCU 47-35

Kevin Davis paced Bethune-Cookman with 21 points, six rebounds and an assist. 

UP NEXT

Grambling State advances to the SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament to face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 Jackson State and No. 6 Prairie View A&M on Friday evening at 8:30 p.m. 

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