From Grambling State Athletic Communications
The Grambling State University men’s basketball team fought to the end on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers ended the regular season with a 78-75 loss to Alabama State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Grambling State (11-19 overall, 9-9 SWAC), which has dropped six out of its last seven games down the stretch, will look to rebound in next week’s SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Alabama State (9-21, 8-10) remained alive for a potential tournament berth.
Cameron Christon led Grambling State with 21 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, with five rebounds and three assists. Prince Moss tallied 15 points, eight boards, one assist and one steal, whileTra’Michael Moton added 11 points, three assists and a pair of rebounds. Malik Lamin registered 10 points, a team-high nine boards and one steal.
Trace Young paced Alabama State with 21 points, on 7-of-9 shooting, with 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and one steal. E.J. Clark tallied 20 points, including 7-of-7 from the foul line, with four assists. Gerald Liddell poured in 15 points, five boards, four blocks and one assist, while Kenny Strawbridge added 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
– Grambling State got a 3-pointer byTra’Michael Moton and a three-point play by Cameron Christon to grab an early 6-0 lead
– However, Alabama State rallied and took 8-7 advantage after a pair of free throws by Gerald Liddell with 16:05 remaining in the opening half
– Grambling State responded on a 15-2 run over the next six minutes, capped by a Zahad Munford 3-pointer, as the Tigers built a 22-10 advantage with 10:34 remaining
– The Hornets answered with 16 straight points as Grambling State went cold from the floor as Alabama State grabbed a 26-22 lead with 6:26 left
– Grambling State tied the game at 26 after free throws by Moton, but back came Alabama State as the Hornets took a 30-28 lead after an E.J. Clark layup with 4:13 remaining
– The Tigers got a 3-pointer by Prince Moss and a dunk by Malik Lamin to take a 33-32 advantage with 3:25 left
– Back-to-back dunks by Lamin pushed the Tiger advantage to 37-32 with 1:18 remaining
– A Strawbridge 3-pointer cut the margin, but Moss answered with a trey as Grambling State went into the break with a 40-35 lead
– Alabama State tied the game at 41 after a jumper by Liddell with just under 18 minutes left
– The Tigers got a 3-pointer by Moton and a layup by Moss to give Grambling State a 46-41 lead, but aYoung trey at the other end cut the deficit to 46-44 with 15:43 remaining
– Alabama State answered with buckets by Strawbridge and Liddell as the Hornets grabbed a 53-47 advantage with 12:54 left
– A layup by Shawndarius Cowart and Moss tied the game at 64 with 5:49 remaining
– Free throws by Christon gave Grambling State a 68-66 advantage with just over four minutes to play
– Free throws by Juan Reyna and Liddell gave the Hornets a slim 69-68 lead with 3:06 left
– The two teams traded buckets down the stretch as Clark drained a 3-pointer from the right corner as Alabama State took a 74-71 lead with 1:40remaining
– Christon was fouled and sent to the charity stripe where he split the pair as Alabama State turned it over with exactly one minute remaining and holding a 74-72 advantage
– However, Grambling State failed to get a bucket until Christon’s 3-pointer as time expired as Alabama State sealed the game at the free-throw line
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
– Grambling State shot 45.9percent (28-of-61) from the field and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from the free-throw line
– Cameron Christon recorded 21 points, five rebounds and three assists
– Prince Moss added 15 points, eight boards, one assist and one steal
– Tra’Michael Moton poured in 11 points, three assists and two rebounds
– Malik Lamin tallied 10 points, nine rebounds and one steal
-The Tigers finished with 32 points in the paint, 16 points off 12 Alabama State turnovers, 16 bench points, 12 fastbreak points and 11 second-chance points
-Alabama State shot 49.0 percent (24-of-49) from the field and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the charity stripe
– Trace Young recorded a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds
– E.J. Clark added 20 points and four assists
– Gerald Liddell tallied 15 points, five rebounds, four blocks and one assist
– Kenny Strawbridge registered 14 points and eight boards
-The Hornets finished with 26 points in the paint, 26 bench points, 18 points off 11 Grambling State turnovers, 14 fastbreak points and 10 second-chance points
SWAC STANDINGS
– Grambling State began the day in sixth in the SWAC standings
– A Grambling State loss, with a Prairie View A&M win, would move the Tigers to seventh as PVAMU won the head-to-head matchup
– Jackson State cannot leap over Grambling State as GSU holds the head-to-head tiebreaking victory
– Alcorn State won the regular season title and will enter the SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament as the top seed
– Texas Southern, Southern, Florida A&M and Alabama A&M sit second through fifth
– Jackson State and Prairie View A&M sit seventh and eighth
– Bethune-Cookman and Alabama State entered the day needing wins and help. Bethune-Cookman fell on the road to Florida A&M, while Alabama State remained alive with the win
– Bethune-Cookman Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State have been eliminated from the postseason tournament
UP NEXT
Grambling State returns to action next week at the SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament
