Sports

Double-digit scorers not enough, Tigers drop back-to-back games

Two losses move the Tigers from third to sixth in the SWAC rankings. GSU Athletics/Courtesy photo

Coming off of a four game winning streak, the Grambling Tigers were met with the SWAC number one team in Prairie View A&M.

The first half went in favor of the Tigers, as they led 37-29 going into the break.

Shooting an impressive 52 percent and 60 percent from the three point line, they held the Panthers to just 29 points on 32 percent shooting.

As the second half resumed, the Panthers came out with new life and fought their way back into the game.

Simply outshooting the Tigers, Prairie View dropped 46 points in the second half to edge out the Tigers by just six points.

They held Grambling to 32 points in the second half on 42 percent shooting and sixteen points coming from free throws.

Leading in scoring was Ivy Smith Jr., who had 17 points and 11 rebounds for another double-double for his season with teammates Devante Jackson and Cameron Christon adding 15 points and 14 from Prince Moss.

With the paint being controlled by the Panthers, they boxed out on possessions and kept the lead in their favor with 33 rebounds adding to their victory.

When Grambling suited up again, it was against the second place Texas Southern Tigers hoping to bounce back from Saturday’s loss.

As the action began, Grambling started scoring and held the lead early.

Until just over five minutes in after the score had been tied twice, Texas Southern never trailed for the remainder of the game.

As the game continued, both teams traded shots back and forth, keeping it somewhat close for the entire first half.

Texas Southern, only up by four points, led 38-34 as they were shooting 40 percent from the field and behind the three point line.

Even though Grambling was shooting 63 percent, less attempts and fewer free throws kept them just behind.

The beginning of the second half saw the trends of the game stay the same, both teams shooting and making nearly the same amount of shots.

However, the 22 fouls by Grambling sent Texas Southern to the line consistently and allowed them to add on to their lead from the charity stripe.

By the time the clock hit zeros, Texas Southern secured their second win in a row in the 93-79 victory over Grambling.

Their leading scorers Justin Hopkins and Tyrik Armstrong both added 21 points with teammate Yahuza Rasas adding 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

For Grambling, Devante Jackson and Kelton Edwards matched with 22 points and five rebounds as Ivy Smith also tallied 16 points and five rebounds in the loss.

Grambling will head home to prepare for a rematch against Jackson State with a chance to protect the 8-2 home record.