GRAMBLING, La. — Bethune-Cookman battled back from an early deficit and forced overtime, but Grambling State finished off the Wildcats 71-68 on Wednesday night at the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

 

1^st Quarter
Grambling State (11-17, 8-7) set the tone early, limiting the Wildcats (6-23, 4-12) to just 3-of-15 shooting in the opening 10 minutes.

The Tigers built a 12-6 lead behind interior scoring and second-chance opportunities, while Bethune-Cookman struggled to find a rhythm offensively and went scoreless from 3-point range in the period.
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2^nd Quarter
The Wildcats responded with their best offensive stretch of the first half, shooting 61.5 percent (8-for-13) in the quarter.

B-CU began the quarter on an 8-1 scoring run, chipping away at the deficit behind strong play in the paint and transition opportunities. After five ties and two lead changes, the Tigers held a narrow 29-28 lead heading into halftime.

The Wildcats held the Tigers to just 35% shooting, but GSU made three three-pointers in the quarter.

3^rd Quarter
Bethune-Cookman briefly seized control in the third. A Janessa Kelley 3-pointer with 2:58 left gave the Wildcats a 40-36 advantage.

Grambling answered with an 8-0 run to close the quarter, highlighted by baskets from Alisha Murray and Shaniah Nunn, reclaiming a 44-40 lead entering the final frame.

The Tigers dominated on the glass in the quarter, grabbing five offensive rebounds leading to six more shot attempts than the Wildcats.

4^th Quarter
The Wildcats caught fire from beyond the arc in the fourth, knocking down five 3-pointers. Shomari Phillips and Jordan Brooks each connected from deep during the surge. Brooks drilled a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one, 59-58.

After a pair of Grambling free throws, Daimoni Dorsey was fouled with two seconds left and calmly sank three free throws to tie the game at 61-61 and force overtime.

The Tigers struggles at the free-throw line proved costly as they shot just 6-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Overtime
Grambling opened the extra session with a layup from Murray and maintained a slim edge throughout.

Mya Johnson tied the contest at 63-63 with 4:34 remaining, but the Tigers responded with a 5-0 spurt and converted key free throws down the stretch.

A late 3-pointer by Brooks pulled B-CU within one, 69-68, with 41 seconds left, but Grambling sealed the win with a fastbreak layup in the closing seconds.

• The leading scorer for B-CU was Tyler Butler, who finished with a double-double (12 points and 12 rebounds).
• Daimoni Dorsey tallied 10 points and four steals.
• Alisha Murray was the game's top scorer with 18 points.
• Jakiylah Esco recorded five blocks for the Tigers.
• Grambling State finished with 15 steals.
• Each team made seven three-pointers.

The Cats finish out the Louisiana trip against the Southern Jaguars. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.

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