By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Athletic Communications
Grambling State couldn’t get back in the win column on Thursday night, falling to Delaware State 73-60 to open the Toyota Chris Paul HBCU Classic presented by Walmart at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Conn.
James Flippin led GSU (2-8) with 14 points to go along with six rebounds and one assist.
The Tigers, who’ve been one of the better three-point shooting teams in the nation, struggled from behind the arc, going 4-of-24 (16.7 percent). Grambling State shot 37.9 percent from floor (22-of-58).
The first half was tightly contested with Delaware State working to a slim halftime lead.
With Delaware State leading 4-0, Cilaydrien Newton scored Grambling State’s first points on deep 3-pointer with 18:29 on the clock.
Trailing 16-12 with 12:58 to go until halftime, the Tigers used a 7-0 run capped by a trey from PJ Edwards to claim a 19-16 lead with 11:35 remining in the half. A free throw by Ernest Rossmade a 20-16 game.
The Hornets closed the half on with a 13-5 run to take a 29-25 lead into the break.
In the second half, DSU quickly pushed its advantage to double figure, lead 40-30 with 14:23 left in the contest,
Following a pair of free throws, from Kintavious Dozier, Ernest Ross’ 3-points trimmed the deficit to five, making it a 40-35 game with 13:44 on the clock.
After the Hornets pushed their lead back to 10, GSU used a quick 6-0 spurt to make it trim the deficit to 45-41 at the 10:20 mark. Delaware State would seize control of the rest of the game, utilizing 12-3 run to grab its largest lead of the game, 57-44 with 5:21 remaining.
The Hornets maintained its distance to secure the 73-60 win.
Delaware State was paced offensively by Robert Smith who score a game-high 16 points with five rebounds and four assists.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Grambling State shot 37.9 percent from the field (22-of-58) and 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from three-point range. The Tigers were 12-of-19 at the free throw line (75.0 percent).
- GSU grabbed 33 rebounds.
- The Tigers committed 10 turnovers.
- Grambling State scored 32 points in the paint, 24 bench points, 16 points off turnovers, and 19 second chance points. five fastbreak points.
- Delaware State shot 47.4percent from the floor (27-of-57) and 50 percent from behind the arc (5-of-10). The Hornets were 14-of-17 at the charity stripe (82.4percent)
- DSU grabbed 36 boards.
- The Hornets committed 13 turnovers.
- Delaware State scored 32 points in the paint, 14 points off turnovers and 14 second chance points, eight bench points, and six fastbreak points.
Up Next
Grambling State returns to action on Friday when the Tigers take on Norfolk State at 4 p.m. EST at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
