By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Athletic Communications
BATON ROUGE— Grambling State stormed back in the second half to erase a 14-point halftime deficit and defeat Southern 63-57 at F.G. Clark Activity Center on Saturday afternoon.
The comeback was identical to earlier this season when GSU overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Jaguars. On Saturday, Grambling State (14-13 overall, 11-3 SWAC) also trailed by as much as 17, but outscored SU 40-20 in the closing period.
Terrence Lewis had the hot hand for the Tigers, scoring 16 a game-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. He added three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal to his tally.
Tra’Michael Motonalso scored in double-figures, contributing 13 points with five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Southern (16-11, 10-4) put pressure on the Tigers early, crafting a 17-9 lead midway through the opening period. The Jaguars continued to build on their advantage, pushing it to 29-13 at the 5:18 mark. A three-pointer by Brndon Davis gave Southern its largest cushion of the day, 32-15, with 4:25 to go in the first half.
SU carried a 37-23 lead into the break.
The Jaguars shot the ball well from behind the arc in the first half, draining 8-of-12 from deep (66.7 percent). In the second half however, the Jaguars went three-point range, going 0-for-9.
Grambling State exited the locker room with new energy, opening the period on a 19-5 run, cutting SU’s lead down to 43-42 with 12:00 to play.
GSU took its first lead of the game, 45-44, on a three-pointer from Tra’Michael Motonwith 11:07 to go.
Both teams battled fiercely down the street, trading buckets back and forth. With the score tied 55-55 with 1:52 remaining, Antwan Burnettsplashed a clutch three-pointer to put GSU ahead 58-55.
Moton followed that up with a steal and a layup, making it 60-55 with 1:15 to play. Grambling State clinched the game with free throws in the closing moments to preserve the win.