In the second annual NBA HBCU Classic, the Grambling State Tigers defeated their fierce rival Southern Jaguars 69-64 in an overtime thriller.
Grambling maintained their hold of second place in the SWAC in what was their fifth straight win. The Tigers improved their overall record to 18-8 and their conference record to 11-3.
Meanwhile, Southern dropped their second straight game bringing the team’s record to 13-14 overall and 9-5 in the SWAC.
We battled the entire way😎@CoachTaeJack | #GramFam | #ThisIsTheG | #NBAAllStar | #NBAHBCUClassic🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/sS0aI1cmbW
— Grambling State Men’s Basketball (@gmensbasketball) February 19, 2023
Grambling State’s Carte’are Gordon, who did not play in the team’s first matchup against Southern, imposed his will in the paint for the Tigers. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
Shawndarius Cowart led all scorers with 18 points on 69% shooting along with Jourdan Smith who had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Brion Whitley led Southern with 13 points and connected on four 3-pointers. Terrell Williams Jr. recorded 12 points followed by Bryson Etienne with 10 points and eight rebounds.
In what was a back-and-forth game in the first half, Grambling State began to build separation in the second half going on a 20-7 run to take a 14-point lead.
Southern responded quickly going on a 22-5 run to take a 59-56 lead with 3:25 left in the game. At the end of regulation, Grambling’s Gordon split a pair of free throws to tie the game sending it to overtime.
There, Grambling outscored Southern 7-2 on their way to victory.
