GRAMBLING, La. - With the SWAC tournament rapidly approaching, the Wildcats will look to finish out the regular season strong with important games against Grambling State and Southern on deck.


What: Game Twenty-Nine
Who: Bethune-Cookman (15-13, 12-3) at Grambling State (12-15, 6-8)
When: Thursday, Feb. 26 at 9:30 p.m. EST
Where: Grambling, La. – Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center
 
Watch: SWAC TV
Live Stats: Click here
 
What: Game Thirty
Who: Bethune-Cookman at Southern (13-14, 9-5)
When: Saturday, Feb. 28, at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Baton Rouge, La. – F.G. Clark Activity Center
 
Watch: HBCU GO
Live Stats: Click here


1^st Half
Despite a bit of a slow start offensively, Bethune-Cookman put some distance between themselves and Alabama A&M. The lead for the Wildcats was 14 heading into halftime, their largest lead of the half.

B-CU finished the half shooting a scorching 65.4% from the field while shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Conversely, the Wildcats held the Bulldogs to just 35.7% shooting and 27.3% from downtown. The Cats also won the rebound battle 19 to 10.

Karon Davis scored 15 of the Bulldogs 30 points to lead all scorers in the first, while B-CU was led by Ariel Bland, who had 11 points.

2^nd Half
The Bulldogs were able to slowly bring themselves back within striking distance in the second half, getting it to as close as five points.

Specifically, Alabama A&M was dominant on the glass, out-rebounding the Wildcats 22 to 13 leading to six more shot attempts.

The Wildcats also struggled mightily from the free-throw line, converting on just 57.1% of their opportunities.

B-CU was able to hold on to win thanks to more strong shooting from the floor. The Wildcats shot 53.6% in the second, making three more three-pointers to give them nine for the game.

Grambling State
The Tigers are 6-8 in SWAC play, good for eighth in the conference overall. They completed a blowout victory over Mississippi Valley State in their last game, which ended a four-game losing streak. Grambling has been excellent at home this season with a 7-3 record.

Freshman forward Antonio Munoz leads the Tigers in scoring at 13.0 points per game. He is coming off a 21-point performance against the Delta Devils, but he finished with a season-high eight turnovers. As a team, Grambling has four players scoring in double figures.

In conference play, Grambling ranks as the second-worst offense in the league, averaging 70.1 points per game. However, they also rank as the top defense in the league, allowing 69.3 points per contest.

The Tigers also turn the ball over at a high rate, ranking just below Florida A&M for worst in the SWAC.

Southern
The Southern Jaguars are 9-5 in conference action, currently sitting as the second seed in the SWAC. They defeated Grambling in their last game 87-73 in Baton Rouge. The Jaguars are 8-2 at home and are currently on a four-game winning streak at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Michael Jacobs continues to lead the way for the Jaguars, averaging just under 17 points a game in SWAC play. However, the senior guard has not reached 20+ points since January 28th. Jacobs also ranks fifth in the league in steals, and recently recorded five in a win over Jackson State.

The Jaguars are the third ranked offense in the SWAC and rank fourth in rebounds and offensive rebounds. In their first matchup, the Jaguars grabbed 17 offensive rebounds leading to 21 second chance points.


The Wildcats are 5-11 against Grambling but are currently on a three-game winning streak against the Tigers.

B-CU will look to even the series against Southern at seven.


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