If the Grambling State University’s men’s basketball team figured out how to get over the hump in close games, then they might capture their second win of the season Saturday as they travel to the Williams Center in Jackson, Miss. to battle Brandon West and the Jackson State University Tigers.
West was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the week.
For Jackson State (6-12, 2-4 SWAC), West average 12.4 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers (1-14, 0-6 SWAC) played well in its last two home games against conference opponents, but still the ended up on the short end of the stick, twice in the same fashion.
In the losses against Prairie View University (5-12, 3-2 SWAC) and Texas Southern University (7-10, 3-2 SWAC), the Tigers were in striking distance to win and each game down to the final shot and the same person, Antwan Scott, missed them both.
In their most recent loss 82-83 the to Prairie View Panthers, Grambling held an 82-81 lead with thirty seconds remaining, but freshman guard Remond Brown committed a foul that sent Montrael Scott to the free-thrown. Scott made both shots to give the Panthers a one-point lead.
In Grambling’s last chance to capture the second win of the season, Scott drove to the lane and missed a difficult lay-u. After that, game was over.
What made the loss to P.V. so devastating is that the Tiger led the entire first half. Scott scored 18 first half points and gave an assist to Terry Rose, who hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer that gave the Tigers a 41-31 lead going into the half.
In the second half the Tigers extended their 10-point lead to 13 points as the score was 51-38, but towards the final minutes of the game, the Tigers lost the intensity they had in the first half.
In the second half, Scott was cooled down from his fiery start as he only scored nine points to finish with 27 points and the Tigers lost by one.
Two other scored in double figures for the Tigers, A’Torri Shine scored 19 and Rose finished with 11.
In the 74-72 loss to TSU, it a real Tiger fight. Although TSU has one of the most exciting players in the country on their roster, center Aaric Murray, who scored 48 points in a win against Temple, he wasn’t a huge factor.
Grambling defended him well as they led the forth-leading scorer in the country to 17 points.
The game was tied at 37 in at the end of the first half. In the second half Texas Southern was attempting to pull away as they gained an 11-point edge at the 9:55 mark, but the GSU battled back going on a 18-9 run to close the game.
Just as the game against P.V., this game also came down to the last shot and again Grambling put the ball in the hands of the hot man, Antwan Scott.
Scott made 9 of 16 shots, including six 3-pointers, but still it was not enough as he missed the most important shot, the last shot.
Scott drove in the lane through traffic, got a nice look at the basket, put the lay up hit the backboard, rolled off the rim and the Tigers lost.
“Our games were lost because not paying attention to details and loss of fundamentals,” head coach Joseph Price said. “We have to learn how to remain discipline in the late second half of basketball games.”