Alabama St ends 20-game skid, beats Grambling 74-66 (Jan 03, 2018)

GRAMBLING, La. (AP) Branden Johnson scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds to rally Alabama State to its first win of the season Wednesday night, 74-66 over Grambling State that also ended a 20-game losing streak.

Jacoby Ross led the Hornets (1-13, 1-1 Southwest Athletic Conference) with 14 points, Reginald Gee had 11 and Ed Jones 10.

Grambling State (4-11, 1-1) made 13 of 20 shots and went 12 of 19 from the foul line to race to a 40-33 halftime lead. Alabama State shot just 24 percent (9 of 38).

The script flipped in the second half with the Hornets making 14 of 29 and the Tigers going 1 of 9 from distance and 8 of 33 overall (24 percent). Grambling also struggled from the line, making just 9 of 16.

Ross tied the game at 57 with 5 minutes left and after a turnover Johnson had a putback. Grambling missed two free throws and Jones scored on a tip in. The Hornets made 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch.

Ivy Smith Jr. had 17 points and Axel Impoyo 13 for Grambling, which lost to Alabama A&M in its previous game, the first win of the season for the Bulldogs, who had lost 16 straight.