Box Score GRAMBLING, La. – Alabama A&M (6-9, 4-9 SWAC) rallied from a 16-1 second half run and came within two in the final seconds before Grambling (11-11, 9-6 SWAC) managed to hold on for an 80-72 victory in an NCAA Division I men's basketball game on Saturday, March 6.
Freshman guard
London Riley (Atlanta, Ga.) went 6-of-7 from the field, including an impressive 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, to lead the Bulldogs with 17 points along with five rebounds and four assists.
Sophomore forward
Jalen Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) delivered a "big man" double-double with 15 points and 13 boards while sophomore guard
Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) finished with 13 points. Freshman
Jevon Tatum (Snellville, Ga.) added 12 points, five assists and five caroms and freshman guard
Dailin Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo.) chipped in with nine points.
In a battle of seemingly evenly matched teams, the clubs would battle through seven lead changes and three ties over the first 9:39 before GSU held a narrow 23-20 lead. The lead could have been wider than that and it still wouldn't have held up to what the Bulldogs put together as they scored 13 straight in a span of 2:29 to pull ahead 33-23 by the 7:04 mark.
After the initial shock of what had just happened wore off, the Tigers responded with a 9-4 stretch that pulled them to within five, 37-32, with 47 seconds remaining in the half. From there a mini 5-0 A&M run extended to a 42-32 lead at the break.
Things would change dramatically in the second half, however, the Bulldogs would hold a 49-39 advantage with 17:25 showing on the clock before that would come to pass. At that point, Cameron Christon delivered six early points as Grambling came all the way back with a dominant 16-1 run that took them from down double-digits to up 55-50 by the 12:46 mark.
That margin would tighten up to within two points, 61-59, nearly four minutes later before the Tigers slowly grew their lead to 71-61 with just over four minutes remaining. Hicks then drove to the hole for a layup and knocked down a three to halve the deficit with 2:21 remaining.
Trailing 74-68 it would be Riley's turn to drain a trey and cut it to a three-point margin, something Hicks would take down to two with a free throw with 21 seconds showing on the clock. That, however, would be as close as they would get as Grambling went 6-of-6 down the stretch to salt away the 80-72 victory.
Terreon Randolph led Grambling with a double-double of 14 points and 10 boards while Christon finished with 17 points, five caroms and three assists. Tra'Michael Moton posted 13 points and six assists and Prince Moss had 11 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Zahad Munford and Kelton Edwards rounded things out with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Bulldogs close out the unique 2020-21 season with a 6-9 overall record and 4-9 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
NOTES
A&M is currently ineligible for postseason play per SWAC regulations.
