Wakil Atig
Sports Writer
The Tigers of Jackson State University hosted the Grambling State University Tigers in a conference matchup on Saturday, Feb. 23.
Coming off a debilitating loss to Texas Southern University, JSU looked to redeem themselves— and they did exactly that.
In the first half, JSU got off to a dominant start. Everything from blocking shots, rebounding the ball, and being patient on offense.
Freshman forward, Jayveous McKinnis set the tone for JSU with an earth-shaking alley-oop dunk from junior guard, Venjie Wallis.
McKinnis had a total five dunks in the game. Three of those dunks came by way of alley-oop. He finished the game with a firm 16 points and 7 rebounds.
As the first half continued, Grambling State began to press JSU on defense, causing them to turn the ball over.
GSU capitalized by draining three-pointers to keep them afloat in the game. GSU made a total of six three’s in the game.
Despite Grambling State’s full-court pressuring defense and three-point shooting, JSU still maintained the lead for the majority of the first half and lead by as man as 14 points.
Senior guard, William Brown gave a solid effort off bench. He was the heart and soul of JSU offense in the first half.
His relentless attack to the basket and aggressiveness on defense gave JSU the confidence they needed to compete.
Brown finished the game with a solid 11 points off the bench.
As the first half ended, JSU took full control of the game on both ends. Grambling simply could not find a rhythm offensively and lacked intensity on defense.
JSU adjusted to Grambling’s full-court pressuring defense by simply being patient and moving the ball. This allowed JSU to score easy buckets in transition. JSU lead 38-24 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, both teams struggled initially. Sloppy ball movement and careless decisions on offense by JSU allowed Grambling to make a 6-0 run, cutting into the lead.
This run would be short lived as JSU turned their defensive pressure through the roof by trapping in the defenders.
JSU’s half court traps neutralized Grambling State’s offense and as a result, JSU lead by as many 17 points in the second half.
The leader scorer for JSU was senior guard Chris Howell, who was sensational in the second half. He was the energy that carried JSU for the second half.
Everything from knocking down pivotal shots when it counted and getting to the free-throw line. He finished the game with 17 points and 7 rebounds.
As the second half continued, JSU continued to dominant the game despite a late game run by Grambling State. JSU went on to defeat Grambling State, 71-60 in conference play.
The Lady Tigers of Jackson State also had a dominant performance Saturday night as they crushed the Lady Tigers of Grambling State University. Five players from JSU scored in double figures.
Junior Marnesha Hamer had a stellar night finishing with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Her aggressiveness offensively propelled the Lady Tigers confidence in the game.
Fellow junior, Kaisah Lucky dropped 15 points and dished out a game high 8 assists. Senior Christina Ellis added a pivotal 13 points and locked Grambling State’s best defender forcing her to turn the ball over a total of 10 times.
Sophomore Antionette Womack and freshman Taylor Latimore each contributed a solid 10 points each. JSU was just too much as they lead by as many as 30 points in the third quarter.
In the end Grambling State got outworked. They never had a chance to gain momentum in this game as JSU never took their foot of the gas.
JSU’s Lady Tigers defeated Grambling State 89-60 in conference play.
NaKaela Cobb, a freshman social work major from Chicago said, “Tonight’s game was lit! I’m so glad both teams won. Games like this make me proud to be a student at Jackson State.”
Keimyia Lewis, a freshman social work major from Chicago enjoyed the excitement from the dunks, dancers and band.
“The game was very exciting, a lot of slam dunks made the game super lit. I also enjoyed the performance by the Prancing Jsettes and Sonic Boom,” said Lewis.
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