By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Athletic Communications
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Grambling State trailed by nine at halftime but roared back in the second half to claim a 72-61 win over Alabama A&M at the AAMU Events Center on Monday night.
GSU (8-16 overall, 5-6 SWAC) found itself down by nine at the break, but kicked into gear and dominated the Bulldogs in the final period, outscoring AAMU 47-27.
Four Tigers reached double-figures with Kintavious Dozier leading the way with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, to go along with three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Antwan Burnett was one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 15 points with nine boards. PJ Eason added another 15 points paired with six rebounds, while Mikale Stevenson contributed 13 points with seven assists.
With the score tied 7-7 in the first half, Grambling State embarked on a 15-5 run to take a 22-12 lead with 8:07 remaining.
The Tigers struggled for the rest of the half, allowing Alabama A&M to close to the period on a 22-3 run. The Bulldogs led 34-25 at the break.
Grambling State exited the locker room with a renewed energy, immediately using a 15-4 run, capped by a dunk by Eason, to take a 40-38 lead with 15:27 to play.
AAMU looked to regain control when the Bulldogs took a 45-40 lead with 13:23 remaining, but Grambling State remained focused a limited their run. Trailing 47-46, Chilaydrien Newtonsplashed a 3-pointer to put the Tigers back in front 49-47.
GSU never trailed again following that bucket, wearing Alabama A&M down and never allowing the Bulldogs to regain their footing.
Alabama A&M fell to 7-17 and 3-8 in the SWAC.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 51.2 percent from the field (22-of-43) and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three-point range. GSU was 21-of-33 at the free throw line (63.6 percent).
- The Tigers grabbed 37 rebounds.
- Grambling State committed 16 turnovers.
- GSU scored 24 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers, 12 bench points, six fastbreak points and six second chance points.
- Alabama A&M shot 33.3percent from the floor (19-of-57) and 28.6 percent from behind the arc (8-of-28). AAMU was 15-of-25 at the charity stripe (60.0 percent)
- The Bulldogs pulled down 31 rebounds.
- Alabama A&M committed 13 turnovers.
- AAMU scored 26 bench points, 22 points in the paint, 15 points off turnovers, 14 second chance points and 13 fastbreak points.
- The Bulldogs were led by Lorenzo Downey who scored 15 points with nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Up Next
Grambling State returns to the Fredrick C. Hobdy Center on Saturday, Feb. 15 when the Tigers host Texas Southern. Tip-off is scheduled form 4:30 p.m. and will be streamed on the SWAC Digital Network (YouTube).