By Leon Mitchell, Grambling State Athletic Communications
GRAMBLING — Grambling State (4-10, 1-2 SWAC) struggled offensively and fell to Bethune-Cookman (4-11, 1-2 SWAC) 70-52 on Saturday afternoon at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Grambling was unable to overcome a poor shooting performance, finishing just 24% from the field and 11.1% from three-point range. Despite outrebounding Bethune-Cookman 56-47 and generating 19 second-chance points, the Tigers couldn’t close the gap.
Lydia Freeman and Alyssa Phillip led Grambling with 11 points each. Freeman also grabbed seven rebounds, while Phillip recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds. Douthshine Prien contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
Bethune-Cookman’s Daimoni Dorsey paced all scorers with 19 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Asianae Nicholson added 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Kayla Clark dominated the boards with 18 rebounds to go along with nine points.
Bethune-Cookman set the tone early, outscoring Grambling 23-8 in the first quarter. Although the Tigers showed resilience in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 10 points at halftime, they couldn’t maintain the momentum. The Wildcats pulled away in the third quarter with a 20-point effort, extending their lead to 17 points heading into the final period.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 24.0% from the field and 11.1% from three-point range, while Bethune-Cookman finished at 43.1% overall and 50.0% from beyond the arc.
- Grambling outrebounded Bethune-Cookman 56-47, including 34 offensive rebounds.
- The Tigers bench outscored Bethune-Cookman’s reserves 18-9, but Grambling was hampered by 19 turnovers.
- Bethune-Cookman capitalized on Grambling’s mistakes, converting turnovers into 13 points.
- The Wildcats controlled the paint with 26 points compared to Grambling’s 28, while also scoring 11 fast-break points.
UP NEXT
Grambling State will host Florida A&M on Monday, January 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Willis Reed Court in the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling.
