Grambling State University Tigers (0-3) traveled to Springfield, Mo., to face Missouri State University on Wednesday night. They lost 97-67.
Grambling guard A’Torri Shine, a junior transfer from Southern University at Shreveport, continued to excel as he led all scorers with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Guard Remond Brown, a freshman from Monroe, followed with 16 points and three steals.
“The new players in the program played well last night,” said head coach Joseph Price. “This is their first time playing Division I basketball teams. We learned how much we need to improve. Four of the five newcomers had double figures.”
Freshman guard from Annapolis, Md., Chase Comier added 11 points and seven assists. Windale Glinton, a freshman from Lake Worth Fla., had 10 points,
At halftime, the Tigers were down only by nine points, 39-30. But Missouri State put the game out of reach in the second half.
“The game is not just 20 minutes but 40 minutes,” said Price, who is in second season as head coach.
Missouri State shot 80 percent in the second half, and every position contributed its fair share. Of 14 players who played, 12 players scored in the win.
Missouri State had 45 points from the bench, and shot 40 percent beyond the three-point line.
This was the second game between the two teams. Grambling played Missouri State in the Tulsa Classic in 1987. Grambling lost that game 77-60.
Grambling State is looking for their first win since the 2011-2012 season, losing 31 straight games. The Tigers lost its first two games to DePaul University and Marquette University by a combined 81 points. The Tigers allowed both teams to shoot over 50 percent, while the Tigers shot just 30 percent. Missouri State (3-0) looked to remain undefeated after three wins against Missouri Southern, Old Dominion and Tulsa.
Grambling started off the game with two baskets by Brown. The Tigers led 4-0, but that was their biggest lead of the match-up. Missouri State responded by going on an 11-0 run and never looked back.
“(Brown) had a couple of spectacular alley-oop dunks,” said Price.
Brown added the dunks excited the Missouri State crowd and Shine and Cormier were credited for those assists.
The Tigers have been without five players on the roster, Terry Rose, Reginald Smith, Isaiah Patterson, Travis Hawkins and Antwan Scott. Two of them possible starters, Rose and Scout will bring the extra edge.
“(Scott) is the best player on the team,” said Price. Scott is a junior transfer student from the University of Idaho. He did not play much at the University of Idaho because of personal matters.
Rose was the team’s leading scorer averaging 13 points a game. He was also named Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year last season.
The Tigers have nearly four weeks before their next game against Arizona State Sun Devils (2-5) in Temple, Ariz. The game is Dec. 14 at noon.