GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Ariel Williams drilled a 3-pointer with over a minute remaining and sank a free throw late as the Grambling State University women’s basketball team stunned previously unbeaten Indiana, 65-62, during the second day of the Puerto Rico Classic on Thursday afternoon at Mario Morales Coliseum.
“I’m really proud of this team and how they came out and responded after yesterday’s game against South Dakota,” Grambling State head coach Freddie Murray said. “Our coaching staff did a great job preparing the team and we are just so thrilled to get this win against a very good team.”
Grambling State (2-8) and Indiana played to a 14-14 tie in the opening quarter and the Lady Tigers took a 33-23 advantage into the half. Grambling State continued to play the role of spoiler and took a 52-44 lead into the final period.
Shakyla Hill, who is averaging 19.0 points in two games at the Puerto Rico Classic, scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the first half and finished with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jazmin Boyd recorded 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and one steal. Kendriana Washington chipped in eight points and team-highs in rebounds (seven) and steals (three).
Ali Patberg paced Indiana (10-1) with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Bendu Yeaney registered 14 points, three boards, one assist and one steal. Brenna Wise and Jaelynn Penn each added seven points.
Turning Point
Grambling State began the game with four straight points to take a 4-0 lead, but Indiana roared back to tie the game at 7 after a Kym Royster layup with 6:42 remaining in the opening period. A Jazmin Boyd 3-pointer gave the Lady Tigers a 12-9 lead with 4:37 left, but the Hoosiers answered and grabbed a 14-12 advantage after a bucket by Ali Patberg with 1:26 remaining.
Shakyla Hill sank a jumper with 14 seconds left as the two teams entered the second period all tied at 14.
Indiana opened the second period with five straight points, capped by a Patberg jumper with 8:11 left, but the Hoosiers would go on a cold spell from the field, which allowed Grambling State to use a 17-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 31-23 advantage after an Ariel Williams layup with 1:38 remaining.
The Lady Tigers pushed the margin to double digits with 12 seconds left in the first half when Shakyla Hill scored on a layup to give Grambling State a 33-23 halftime lead.
Grambling State opened the second half with seven straight points to extend the advantage to 40-23 after a Boyd 3-pointer with 8:36 left. Indiana chipped away at the deficit and used a 16-6 run over the next five minutes to close the gap to 46-39 with 3:11 remaining in the third.
The Lady Tigers closed out the third period strong and took a 52-44 advantage into the final period.
Grambling State stretched the advantage to 60-46 after a Tekerra Parsons bucket with 8:36 remaining, but back came Indiana as the Hoosiers cut the margin to 60-57 after a pair of free throws by Patberg with 3:51 left.
A Patberg 3-pointer closed the gap to 61-60 and Parsons was unable to sink two shots at the charity stripe on the other end. That allowed Indiana to grab the lead as Bendu Yeaney drilled a jumper to give the Hoosiers a 62-61 lead with 1:32 left.
However, an Ariel Williams 3-pointer gave the Lady Tigers a 64-62 advantage with 1:08 left and she sank 1-of-2 at the free-throw line with 17.4 remaining to give Grambling State a slim, 65-62 lead.
Indiana had three looks at the basket in the final 16 seconds but could not score as Grambling State pulled off the upset.
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State was 25-of-54 (46.3 percent) shooting and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the charity stripe
> Indiana shot 37.0 percent (20-of-54) from the field and 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the free-throw line
> GSU registered 34 rebounds, including 25 on the defensive glass
> The Hoosiers pulled down 38 rebounds, with 24 coming on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished with 32 points in the paint, 22 points off 20 Hoosier turnovers, 10 bench points, 10 second-chance points and six fastbreak points
> Indiana tallied 24 points in the paint, 18 points off 15 Lady Tiger turnovers, nine second-chance points, eight bench points and six fastbreak points
News & Notes
> Indiana is unranked in the polls, but is receiving votes
> The Hoosiers came into the game as oneof three unbeaten teams in the Big Ten (Maryland and Minnesota)
> Indiana defeated Loyola Marymount, 67-43 to open the Puerto Rico Classic
> Grambling State fell to South Dakota, 67-53, to begin play at the Puerto Rico Classic
> Shakyla Hill earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors on Tuesday
> The three teams Grambling State will play at the Puerto Rico Classic (South Dakota, Indiana and Loyola Marymount) have a combined record of 26-3
> Grambling State is the lone SWAC school on Indiana’s schedule
> Thursday’s game marked the first meeting between Grambling State and Indiana
> The victory was the first over a Power 5 school for Grambling State head coach Freddie Murray
> Grambling State, which last played a home game on Nov. 9 (McNeese State), is in the midst of a 12-game road swing, which includes the first two SWAC games (Alabama State and Alabama A&M)
Up Next
Grambling State concludes play at the Puerto Rico Classic on Friday against Loyola Marymount. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 12:30 p.m. (central) at Mario Morales Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Courtesy: GSU Athletics
