INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team put up a valiant effort, but couldn't overcome top seeded Purdue, falling 78-50 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
Grambling State kept pace with Purdue for much of the first half, but the Boilermakers gave the Tigers a heavy dose of Zach Edey who scored 14 of PU's first 23 points. Edey finished the game with 30 points and 21 rebounds. 
 
After Purdue snagged a 16-8 lead with 13:36 to go in the half, a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer from Tra'Micahel Moton pulled GSU withing three points, 16-13. 
 
Trailing 29-19 with 7:38 to go in the half, Grambling State used an 8-2 run capped by a Mikale Stevenson jumper to cut Purdue's lead down to 31-27 with 3:38 on the clock. The Boilermakers closed the half with five straight points to take a 36-27 lead into halftime.  
 
Dozier had a big first half for the Tigers, scoring 12 points with four rebounds in the opening period. He finished with 16 points. 
 
The Boilermakers asserted its dominance in the second half, growing its lead to 54-33 with 12:29 remaining. GSU had no answer for the Purdue in the closing period. 
 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Grambling State went 20-of-55 from the floor (36.4 percent), 3-of-12 (25.0percent) from three-point range and 7-for-10 (70.0 percent) from the free throw line.
• Tra'Michael Moton added a team-high 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. 
• Purdue shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from behind the arc and 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the charity stripe.
• PU dominated the boards, outrebounding GSU 48-23.
• The Tigers finished with 18 points in the paint, eight bench points, seven fastbreak points, three second chance points and 13 points off 10 turnovers. 
• The Boilermakers scored 34 points in the paint, 12 bench points, seven fastbreak points and eight points off six turnovers. 

 
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