By Leon Mitchell, Grambling State Athletic Communications
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Grambling State held off a late surge from Florida A&M to secure a 55-52 victory at the Al Lawson Center on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Lady Tigers improved to 13-14 overall and 10-6 in SWAC play.
Grambling State got off to a strong start, using an efficient first quarter to take a 17-11 lead. Kahia Warmsley set the tone early, scoring from both inside and beyond the arc. The Lady Tigers extended their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring the Rattlers 15-9 to take a 32-20 lead into halftime.
Florida A&M (9-19 overall , 6-11 SWAC) found momentum in the third quarter, chipping away at the deficit behind the play of Sydney Hendrix and Sabou Gueye. The Rattlers outscored Grambling State 17-14 in the period, cutting the Lady Tigers lead to 46-37 heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter saw Florida A&M make a strong push, outscoring Grambling State 15-9. The Rattlers closed the gap to just three points in the final minutes, but Grambling State’s defense stood strong.
The Lady Tigers forced key stops down the stretch, securing the win as Florida A&M’s final attempts to tie the game fell short.
Warmsley led Grambling State with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range. She also contributed five rebounds and two steals. Douthshine Prien added 12 points and a pair of rebounds, while Lydia Freemananchored the paint with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Florida A&M was led by Hendrix, who finished with 13 points, while Gueye contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks in a strong defensive effort.
Grambling State shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the field and was efficient at the free-throw line, knocking down 90.9 percent (10-of-11). Florida A&M held a slight edge in field goal percentage at 38.9 percent (21-of-54) but struggled from three-point range, hitting just 20.0 percent (2-of-10) of its attempts.