Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications
Tigers 87, Bethune-Cookman 72
Jourdan Smith scored a game-high 23 points as the Grambling State University men’s basketball team opened the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament with a dominating 87-72 victory over Bethune-Cookman at Bartow Arena on Wednesday afternoon.
Grambling State advances to face the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal match-up between No. 3 Jackson State and No. 6 Prairie View A&M on Friday evening at 8:30 p.m.
Smith went 10-for-13 from the field while grabbing eight rebounds and making three blocks, helping guide the Tigers’ to its 10th consecutive win and its 23rd victory of the season, its most ever as members of Division I.
Cameron Christon, the 2023 SWAC Player of the Year, also had a big day for the Tigers, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the first half. He knocked down 8 of his 11 attempts from the field, including going 3-of-5 from three-point range. The Allen, Texas native was also active on defense, racking up five steals.
Grambling State (23-8) only trailed once in the contest when BCU (12-20) scored the first bucket of game. The Tigers out-powered the Wildcats, using a 20-8 run to open up a 10-point lead with 11:45 to go in the half.
GSU continued to put pressure on BCU, opening up a 30-12 on a 3-pointer by Version Cotton at the 9:15 mark. Grambling State extended its advantage to 20 points, 41-21, on a layup by Jonathan Aku with 4:32 remaining. Aku was the third-leading scorer from GSU, registering 15 points.
The Tigers carried a 47-27 lead into the break.
In the second half, GSU continued to build upon its lead. Christon handed the Tigers its largest lead of the afternoon, 60-37, with 15:06 left in the game.
The Wildcats never threatened GSU in the period, as the Tigers sailed to the 87-72 triumph.
For the game, the Tigers connected on 54.1 percent of its shots from the floor (33-of-61), including going 7-of-11 from behind the arc. GSU once again held a team to under 40 percent, as BCU went just 15-of-40 on its field goal attempts (37.7 percent).
Kevin Davis paced Bethune-Cookman with 21 points, six rebounds and an assist.
Jackson State 59, Lady Tigers 50
The Grambling State University women’s basketball team put a scare in No. 1 seed Jackson State, but fell 59-50 in the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women’s basketball Tournament on Wednesday night at Bartow Arena.
Leah Morrow paced Grambling State (10-20) with 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm, with the Tigers shooting 25.9 percent from the field (15-of-58), while Jackson State (21-8) was only able to drain 36.7 percent of its field goal attempts (18-of-49). JSU, however used its size to outscore GSU 24-8 in the paint and hold a 45-35 advantage on rebounds.
In the first quarter, Grambling State got out of the gate first, building a quick 5-0 lead and forcing three JSU turnovers, forcing an early timeout by Jackson State. After JSU nabbed a 6-5 lead, Allen splashed mid-range jumper to make it 7-6 GSU with 4:33 left in the period.
GSU pushed its lead to 14-9 on a 3-pointer by Allen at the 2:38 mark. Grambling State led 16-15 at the end of the quarter.
Jurnee McLaurin opened the second frame by knocking down quick three to give GSU a four-point cushion, 19-15. Jackson State used a pair of free throws by Jaliyah Covington to work its way back in front 24-22 with 2:11 remaining in the half.
Both teams traded the lead back and forth for the rest of the half, but settled for a 29-29 tie going into the break.
A free throw from McLaurin and a jumper by Miracle Saxon placed Grambling State ahead 32-29 at the beginning of the third quarter, however, Jackson State grabbed a lead it wouldn’t relinquish on a layup by Daphane White, going up 35-33 with 4:50 to go in the third. JSU took 45-37 lead heading into the fourth period.
JSU utilized its sized and length in the final quarter to muscle its way to a 57-43 lead with 2:18 left. Grambling State managed to shrink the lead back down to double-digits, but wasn’t able to rally back.
