Jackson State Escapes Grambling State 66-65 in Final Seconds

Jackson State erased a second-half deficit and held on in the final seconds to defeat Grambling State 66-65 in a tightly contested SWAC matchup.

Jackson State entered the game with an 11-20 overall record and a 10-8 mark in conference play, while Grambling State came in at 14-18 overall and 7-11 in the SWAC. The first half was closely played, with both teams trading momentum before Jackson State carried a narrow 28-27 lead into halftime.

In the opening half, Jackson State found success by turning Grambling State mistakes into points and controlling second-chance opportunities. Delyle Williams opened the scoring with a second-chance three-pointer, while Jalen Tatum added early offense with his ability to attack in transition. Grambling State answered behind Antonio Muñoz, Devyn Franklin, and Roderick Coffee III, who hit a late three-pointer with five seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to one.

Grambling State came out strong after the break and quickly grabbed momentum. Rickey Ballard knocked down a pair of three-pointers early in the second half, while Franklin added a layup and later a fast-break dunk to help Grambling build a 45-36 lead. Jamil Muttilib also connected from beyond the arc, and Muñoz added key points inside as Grambling appeared to be in control.

Jackson State responded with a run sparked by Dorian McMillian, who caught fire from long range and helped shift the momentum. Tamarion Hoover added a three-pointer, Delyle Williams scored in the paint, and Jayme Mitchell Jr. contributed at the free throw line as Jackson State slowly chipped away at the deficit. McMillian’s pull-up three-pointer gave Jackson State a 57-56 lead with 7:30 remaining, completing the comeback.

The final minutes turned into a back-and-forth battle. Grambling State answered with poise as Muttilib hit two free throws and Derrius Ward drilled a stepback three-pointer to tie the game at 61-61 with 5:14 left. Jackson State regained the lead at the foul line, but Muñoz kept Grambling close with a second-chance layup that cut the deficit to 64-63 with 3:25 to play.

In the closing minute, Grambling State briefly moved in front when Muñoz scored in the paint with 1:02 remaining to give the Tigers a 65-64 lead. But after a Grambling turnover, Tatum answered with a driving layup with 24 seconds left to put Jackson State back ahead 66-65. Tatum missed the and-one free throw, leaving the door open for Grambling State, but Jackson State got the stop it needed. Grambling State called timeout with 20 seconds left and had a chance to win, but Muttilib missed a three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining, and Jackson State secured the rebound to seal the victory.

Jalen Tatum led all scorers with 18 points as Jackson State moves on to face second-seeded Florida A&M tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. EST.