GRAMBLING, La. – Alabama A&M (8-13, 6-5 SWAC) battled back from a fourth quarter deficit to retake the lead late but could not hold on as Grambling (10-12, 7-4 SWAC) escaped with an 81-72 victory in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Monday, February 7.
 
Senior forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) exploded for 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting and added six boards, two blocks and a pair of assists while graduate guard Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) fueled the offense with 17 points, seven assists and three steals.
 
Graduate forward Kierra Johnson-Graham (Atlanta, Ga.) finished with nine points, two steals and a pair of rebounds and sophomore guard Darian Burgin (Cincinnati, Ohio) posted a strong all-around game with three points, five caroms, three assists and three steals. Freshman guard Zhordan Shannon (Smyrna, Tenn.) rounded out the top performers with six points and four boards.
 
Following an opening bucket by A&M, the Tigers ripped off a 12-4 run with four points each from Leah Morrow and Trasity Totten that staked them to a 12-6 lead by the 5:11 mark of the opening period. The teams would then trade buckets to keep it a six-point margin before GSU scored nine of the next 15 points to close the frame with a 23-14 advantage.
 
The Bulldogs would get to within seven on a jumper by Lewis to open the second only to see Grambling deliver an 11-2 burst behind four different scorers that put them up 34-18 less than three minutes into the quarter. A&M would stop the bleeding there and muster an 8-2 run of their own with six of those coming from Johnson-Graham.
 
That stretch narrowed the gap to 36-26 by the 4:57 mark but would soon balloon back up to 16 with six straight points from the Tigers. Trailing 46-30 with just under three minutes left in the half, it would be the Bulldog's turn for six straight points as they cut it to 46-36 by the half.
 
Alabama A&M would find themselves down 15 in the opening minutes of the third, 51-36, but would get back within striking distance with a 12-2 run. That would span 4:16 and see Lewis score eight of those points to cut it to 53-48 with 4:27 showing on the clock. From there, however, the Tigers would build their lead back to double-digits, eventually pulling ahead 65-53 in the final minute before a bucket by the Bulldogs made it a 10-point margin at the end of the frame.
 
With the score at 69-62 and 6:41 left to play in the game, it would be a different team that showed up for A&M. In just 1:44, the Bulldogs would explode for a 9-0 outburst that would see four different scorers and that took them from seven down to up 71-69 by the 4:57 mark.
 
That lead would last all of 15 seconds, however, as Ariel Williams knocked down a triple on the next possession to spark what would be a game-ending 12-1 stretch to clinch the eventual 81-72 victory.
 
Alexus Holt erupted for a game-high 27 points to go with six boards, four assists and three steals for the Tigers while Williams finished with 15 points, four caroms, five steals and three assists. Justice Coleman produced 16 points and Morrow notched nine points, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Colbi Maples closed out the top performances with seven points and a team-best five assists.
 
The Bulldogs return to Elmore Gymnasium for a two-game homestand on Saturday, February 12 when they host Mississippi Valley State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. with the game serving as Think Pink Day.