By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Atletic Communications
GRAMBLING — Antwan Burnett notched a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double to help Grambling State defeat a pesky Mississippi Valley State squad, 54-46, on Saturday afternoon at Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
The win was GSU’s fourth consecutive win and improved the Tigers to 8-11 overall and 5-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). MVSU dropped to 0-20, 0-7 SWAC.
In addition to scoring and snagging rebounds, Burnett was a disruptive force on defense. He racked up a game-high four steals. As a team, GSU forced 24 MVSU turnovers including 15 steals.
In the first half, both teams struggled to find a rhythm offensively. GSU shot 26.9 percent from the field (7-of-26), while MVSU shot a slightly lower percentage going 5-of-21 from the floor (23.8 percent).
Trailing the Delta Devils 6-5 at the 13:25 mark of the first half, the Tigers used a 12-2 run to build its biggest lead of the opening period, 17-8, with 3:45 remaining in the half. GSU carried a 19-12 advantage into the locker room.
Mississippi Valley State came out of the locker room with energy, erasing GSU’s halftime lead and jumping in front 25-24 with 13:17 to play.
MVSU’s lead was short lived however as Mikale Stevensonresponded with a three-pointer to make it 27-25 in favor of GSU at the 12:34 mark. Grambling State began to wear the Delta Devils down from that point.
Later in the half, with the Tigers ahead 42-35, back-to-back layups from Burnett gave GSU its first double-digit lead of the contest, 46-35, with 4:27 to go.
MVSU eventually whittled Grambling State’s lead down to three points 49-46 with 1:09 remaining, but the Tigers managed to shut the door with free throws down the stretch to secure the win.