#SWACMBB Recaps: December 19
SWAC.org
Today’s Scores:
Grambling State 69, Southeastern Louisiana 68
California Baptist 79, Southern 76
Lamar 80, Texas Southern 72
South Alabama 79, Alabama A&M 67
Smith’s clutch free-throws push Grambling past SELA
GRAMBLING, La. - Ivy Smith, Jr. sank a pair of free throws with four seconds left as the Grambling State University men’s basketball team rallied to edge Southeastern Louisiana, 69-68, on Wednesday night at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Grambling State (6-6) trailed, 41-34, at the half, but rallied down the stretch to win its second straight game.
Smith, who went 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, led the Tigers with 17 points, four assists and two steals. Dallas Polk-Hilliard registered 13 points, three rebounds and one steal, while Prince Moss added 13 points, including three 3-pointers, along with four boards.
Moses Greenwood paced Southeastern Louisiana (4-7) with a double-double of 28 points and 14 rebounds, along with one steal. Marlain Veal, who went 8-of-11 from the charity stripe, registered 12 points, five assists, three boards and two steals. Southeastern Louisiana led by as many as 12 points, 63-51, with 7:38 left after a D’Angelo West 3-pointer. But Grambling State refused to go quietly and used a 15-3 run over the next five minutes to tie the game at 66 with 2:01 remaining.
Veal gave the Lions a slim, 67-66, lead after a free throw, but the Tigers roared down the stretch as Smith sank three free throws to pick up the 69-68 victory.
- Grambling State Sports Information
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Bulldogs drop road tilt at South Alabama
MOBILE, Ala. - Josh Ajayi poured in 20 points as South Alabama held off Alabama A&M 79-67 Wednesday night in a non-conference men's basketball game.
South Alabama (6-5) held off a spirited Alabama A&M comeback bid in the second half.
With 11:18 remaining in the game, South Alabama stretched its lead to 14 points, but the cushion did not last long. During the next six minutes, Alabama A&M made a run that pulled the Bulldogs within two points.
Alabama A&M (0-10), however, was not able to get over the hump. The Bulldogs did not score in the final 3:42 seconds of the game.
Jalen Reeder, Arthur Johnson and Brandon Miller each scored 13 points for Alabama A&M, which shot 45 percent from the floor and made 10 3-pointers.
Kory Holden finished with 16 points and five rebounds for South Alabama.
- AAMU Sports Information
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Jaguars nearly complete late comeback vs. California Baptist
BATON ROUGE, La. - Southern nearly completed a second-half comeback versus California Baptist, but the Jaguars faltered late in a 79-76 defeat at the hands of the Lancers Wednesday evening at F.G. Clark Activity Center.
Down 41-36 at the break, the Jaguars fell behind by as many as eight, and trailed 58-51 with 8:27 before jumping on the comeback trail. Southern outscored CBU 11-3 over the next four minutes to take a 62-61 lead.
However, CBU responded with a 10-3 run, and though Southern drew within one with 12 ticks left, the Lancers got two free throws from Jordan Heading late, and Richard Lee missed a game-tying three as time expired.
Aaron Ray led Southern with 21 points. Lee scored 18 and was 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Eddie Reese added 10 points for the Jaguars.
Milan Acquaah scored 25 points and picked up eight boards for the Lancers. Dejon Davis added 16 points and nine rebounds.
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TSU falls at Lamar
BEAUMONT, Texas – Despite four players in double figures, highlighted by a 21-point effort from Jayln Patterson, Texas Southern dropped a 80-72 decision at Lamar Wednesday evening.
Trayvon Reed added 15 points, nine boards and five blocks. Eden Ewing notched a double-double for TSU with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jeremy Combs scored 10 points and recorded eight rebounds.
Trailing 41-32 at the break, the Tigers cut their deficit to two after a Patterson three-ball made it 52-50 Lamar with 12:05 left. However, the Cardinals took advantage of a cold stretch by Texas Southern, putting together a 13-0 run to push their lead to double digits.
Lamar led by as many as 17, but Patterson found the hot hand, scoring nine points during a 15-2 TSU run that brought the Tigers within four, but Texas Southern couldn’t get any closer.
Nick Garth led Lamar with 36 points, going 8-of-9 from deep. Josh Nzeakor had a double-double with 19 points and 13 boards. Jordan Hunter added 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds.