PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Ivy Smith, Jr. and Shirmane Thomas combined for 54 of the Grambling State University men's basketball team's 90 points as the Tigers won their ninth straight game with a 90-85 victory over Prairie View A&M in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Saturday night at the William J. Nicks Building.Grambling State (13-12 overall, 9-3 SWAC) trailed at the break, 43-37, which was only the second time in the last six games the Tigers were behind at the half. GSU rallied in the second half and held off a late charge to complete a season sweep of the Panthers.
Smith paced Grambling State with 28 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. Thomas added 26 points, including 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, with five boards and one assist. DeVante Jackson registered 15 points and five rebounds, while Anthony Gaston tallied 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Gary Blackston led Prairie View A&M with 25 points, including 10-of-12 from the foul line, with seven rebounds, six assists and one steal. Zachary Hamilton chipped in 19 points, with five boards and two assists, while J.D. Wallace led the way on the glass with 11 rebounds and nine points.
Turning Point
Prairie View A&M (9-16, 6-5) raced out to an early 7-2 lead after a pair of Blackston free throws with 18:11 left in the first half, but Grambling State answered with an 8-3 run to tie the game at 10 after a jumper by Gaston with 14:32 remaining.
The Panthers extended the margin to 19-13 after two free throws by Blackston with 11:13 left, but again the Tigers answered and tied the game at 23 after a Nigel Ribeiro 3-pointer with 8:09 remaining.
Prairie View A&M's defense went to work and held Grambling State without a field goal for over four minutes as the Panthers took a 31-25 lead after a Wallace dunk. The Tigers closed the gap to 31-29 after a Thomas layup, but Prairie View A&M answered an quickly extended the advantage to 38-29 after a Jones layup with 2:03 remaining.
The Tigers closed the gap to 38-33 after a Gaston layup, but the Panthers continued to extend the lead, stretching the margin to 43-34 after a Thompson trey. A Thomas 3-pointer with 15 seconds left cut the deficit right before the half to 43-37.
Grambling State fell behind 46-37 after an Ellis free throw with 18:26 left, but the Tigers used a 12-3 run and held the Panthers without a field goal for nearly five minutes to take a 49-48 lead after a bucket by Jackson with 15:07 remaining.
The Tigers took a 63-58 advantage after a Smith three-point play with 10:52 remaining, but Prairie View A&M would not go away quietly and rallied to take a 75-73 lead after a Blackston layup with just under five minutes left.
Grambling State extended the advantage to 83-78 after two free throws by Thomas with 2:30 left, but Prairie View A&M closed the gap to 84-83 after Blackston sank a pair at the foul line with 45 seconds remaining.
That would be as close as the Panthers would get as Smith sank a jumper and four free throws to seal the victory.
Inside The Numbers
· Grambling State shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61) from field and 75.7 percent (28-of-37) from the free-throw line.
· Prairie View A&M was 30-of-61 (49.2 percent) shooting and 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
· The Tigers finished with 39 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass.
· The Panthers recorded 35 rebounds, with 25 coming on the defensive end.
· Grambling State scored 26 points in the paint, 20 points off turnovers and eight second-chance points.
· Prairie View A&M finished with 36 points in the paint, 23 bench points, 20 points off turnovers and nine second-chance points.
· There were 12 ties and seven lead changes.
News & Notes
· Getting by with a little help from our friends: Southern defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, which means Grambling State is now tied for the top spot in the SWAC.
· The Tigers have set a school record for most consecutive wins in the NCAA Division I era with nine.
· Grambling State trailed at the half for just the second time in the last six games.
· Shirmane Thomas finished with 26 points, which was just one shy of tying his career mark of 27, which he recorded against Texas Southern on Jan. 15.
· Grambling State head coach Donte' Jackson remains perfect in the month of February (3-0).
· The Tigers completed the season sweep of Prairie View A&M with the victory on Saturday.
· Tigers head coach was Donte' Jackson will be one of the featured guest speakers at the 2018 Basketball Forum at the MGM Grand in Detroit, Mich. on April 6.
Up Next
Grambling State continues its Texas road swing on Monday in Houston against Texas Southern. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the Health and Physical Education Arena.
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GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
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