Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications
The Grambling State University men’s basketball team climbed out of a 17-point hole to rally past Southern University 79-62 on Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center on Saturday afternoon.
GSU (7-11 overall, 4-1 SWAC) who trailed SU (9-9, 3-2) by nine pints at halftime, outscored the Jaguars 48-23 in the second half. The win also marked Grambling State’s 12th win over Southern in the past 15 meetings.
The Tigers received a big offensive boost from Kintavous Dozier and Tra’Michael Moton. Dozier, who was named the SWAC Impact Player of the Week earlier this week, put up his third consecutive 20-point performance. He scored a game-high 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, with four rebounds and a steal.
Moton supplemented Dozier’s output with 21 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Jimel Cofer was also a key contributor in the victory, adding 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Cofer’s presence on the floor was helpful to the Tigers as he made seven rebounds, three of which were on the offensive end of the floor, providing second-chance opportunities. He also added three assists and a game-high three steals.
The first half wasn’t kind to GSU, as the Tigers found themselves behind 24-7 with 9:50 remaining until the halftime. Trailing 35-21 at the 3:23 mark, Grambling State used a 10-4 run to pull within single digits, 39-31 at the break.
In the early moments of the second half, Southern stretched its lead back to double-digits, 44-33. GSU began to make its move on Jags after that. The Tigers utilized an 11-4 run to trim the deficit to 48-44 with 12:17 left in the game.
With SU up 51-46 at the 10:43 mark, a three-pointer by Cofer made it a one possession game. Jalen Johnson tied the game 51-51 on a hook shot from inside the paint as the clock ticked under 10 minutes. Dozier gave GSU its first lead of the contest on a pair of free throws with 9:17 remaining.
Those points were a part of a 24-4 run that saw GSU grab a commanding 70-55 lead with 3:41 to go. Grambling State kept the Jags off balance the rest of the way, cruising to the 79-62 win.
