Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – No. 2 seed Grambling State maintained control from the opening tip and never looked back in clinching an 87-72 win against No. 7 seed Bethune-Cookman in the opening quarterfinals game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bartow Arena in Birmingham. 
 
The Tigers extended their overall winning streak to 10 in a row. Their record now stands at 23-8.
 
Grambling State had four players who recorded double figures. 
 
Jourdan Smith posted a game-high 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting. Co-SWAC Player of the Year Cameron Christon followed him on the stat sheet with 19. Jonathan Aku had 15 and Tra’Michael Moton contributed with 12.
 
“That’s our thing – share the sugar. Pass the ball and make sure everybody can get a taste. Sharing the ball means everything to us,” said Grambling State head coach Donte’ Jackson, the SWAC Co-Coach of the Year.
 
“I’m proud of my team. We’ve been here before and had the long face going home. They know what this means. It’s business – they came to take care of it.” 
 
Grambling State connected on 54.1% shooting from the field. The Tigers were equally prolific in their 3-point shooting, hitting 63.6%. 
 
Bethune-Cookman was held in check by Grambling State’s pressure. It never found a way to operate within the flow of its halfcourt sets.
 
The Wildcats exceeded their scoring average of 67.7 points per game. However, these numbers were tallied in the closing minutes. 
 
“When you think of games and matchups, this was the worst matchup for us of all the teams,” Bethune-Cookman head coach Reggie Theus said. 
 
“Grambling is long. We don’t really have a post presence, so it makes the game very difficult. That’s a lot of pressure on our guards to have play every night from 30 feet without having someone to throw the ball to in the post. It’s a need for our team and something we have to address.”
 
Kevin Davis led Bethune-Cookman with 21 points. Dhashon Dyson added 20 and Zion Harmon finished the game with 12.
 
With this season-ending loss, Bethune-Cookman falls to 12-20.
 
Up Next
Grambling State next faces the winner of No. 3 seed Jackson State-No. 6 seed Prairie View A&M in the semifinals on Friday, March 10 at 8:30 p.m. (CST) 
 
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.

Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
 
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.