By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Athletic Communications; featured photo courtesy of New Mexico Athletics
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Grambling State couldn’t withstand a second half surge by New Mexico, falling 80-58 on Thursday night at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M.
GSU (1-3) trailed UNM 30-26 at halftime but was outscored 50-32 in final period of play.
P.J. Eason led Grambling State with an 11-point, 10 rebound double-double. He also added four steals, two assists and one block to his tally.
As a team, GSU shot 35.5 percent from the floor (22-of-62) and was 7-of-19 from 3-point range (36.8 percent). The Tigers struggled at the charity stripe, converting 46.5 percent (7-of-15) of their attempts.
Grambling State got off to a promising start, building an 8-2 lead heading into the first media timeout at the 15:57 mark. A layup by Antwan Burnett, with 10:58 remaining in the half, gave GSU a 12-7 lead, its largest of the opening period.
A quick 6-0 run by the Lobos gave UNM (4-1) its first lead of the game, 13-12, with 9:28 left in the first half.
Emeka Nnaji pushed the Tigers back in front, 14-13, after drawing a foul on a driving layup off an assist from P.J. Eason. Nnaji converted the free throw to make it 15-13 with 8:21 to go in the half.
A fast break dunk by Tru Washington off a turnover gave the Lobos a 17-15 advantage with less than eight minutes to play in the opening half. UNM pushed its lead to 30-23 with 43 second remaining in the half.
New Mexico turned the game around within the first seven minutes of the second half. The Lobos used a 19-2 run to extend their lead to 49-28 with 13 minutes left in the game.
Grambling State did its best to try to climb back into the game, trimming the deficit down to 11 points, 52-41, on a P.J. Edward 3-pointer with 9:06 to go.
That was the closest the Tigers could get to the Lobos as UNM gradually stretched its lead to close the game.
New Mexico was paced offensively by Donovan Dent who contributed 22 points, eight assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
The Lobos went 28-of-60 from the field (46.7 percent), 7-of-18 from behind the arc (38.9 percent) and 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) from the free throw line.
Up Next
Grambling State heads to Los Angeles, Calif. to face Southern Cal on Sunday, Nov. 24. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. PST/6 p.m. CST at the Galen Center and will be broadcast in BIG+.