OMARI

[PointGuard]

Jan. 20: Grambling Tigers (10-7, 3-1) @ Alcorn State Braves (9-8, 2-2)

We hit just 1 of our first 7 shots to trail 7-2 at the first media timeout, during which I laid into the team. Ukko Noronen came in off the bench to hit 2 quick baskets and tie the game. The two teams exchanged the lead a few times but our shooting woes continued and we gradually slipped behind. The half ended with us on the short end of a 34-25 score. We began the 2nd half with great D and went on an 11-2 run to tie the game with 13 minutes to go. Ultimately we just couldn’t solve the Braves’ 1-2-2 zone and were forced to chuck up some gawd-awful 3’s, hitting just 2 of 19 attempts. That doomed us and we fell 65-57. Ukko Noronen scored 14, Brody Rowland had 12 points and 8 boards, Jon Benoit finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and Aleem Charles added 10 points. But Brian Fox missed all 8 FGA’s (including going 0 for 6 from 3 point distance) and was 0 for 3 at the free throw line. Rico Canty was also ineffective, scoring no points and grabbing no rebounds. Having 2 starters being unproductive was a killer. Our 2nd straight loss dropped us into a 3-way tie for 3rd place in the SWAC.

[PointGuard]

Jan. 24: Grambling Tigers (10-8, 3-2) @ Alabama State Hornets (8-10, 1-4)

Poor offense and worse defense by both teams kept the score close with 10 lead changes in the first 15 minutes of the game. The Hornets fell apart in the final 5 minutes of the 1st half allowing us to move out to a 38-30 halftime advantage. We then let Alabama State go on a 6-0 run in the first minute of the 2nd half which nearly eliminated our lead. We surrendered the lead 4 minutes later. 5 minutes of frequent lead changes followed. We then grabbed a small lead that we held for 7 minutes but were unable to build it into a safe lead. Our inability to make foul shots (we missed 9 of our 11 FT’s in the game) allowed the Hornets to recapture the lead in the waning minutes of the game. Our offense shut down and we gave away a game we should have won by a final score of 77-73. C Aleem Charles had 14 points and 9 rebounds plus 3 blocks, PG Brian Fox scored 13 points, SG/PG Jon Benoit put in 12 points and had 7 assists, and SF David Heyward scored 10 points. We failed to control inside and 3 of the Hornets’ interior players combined to score 48 points. Our road woes have us now in a 3-way tie for 5th place in the SWAC.

[PointGuard]

Jan. 27: Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions (3-16, 2-4) @ Grambling Tigers (10-9, 3-3)

Home game plus a weak opponent equals a lopsided 89-50 victory. Great to get a W, but on the negative side 2 of our players sustained injuries: SF Greg Howell has a sore knee that is expected to take about a week to fully recover and SF David Heyward has a strained abdominal that our training staff anticipates will limit him for 2 weeks. Topping our scoring in this game were: C Aleem Charles with 14 points (and 8 boards); PG Brian Fox who had 13 points; and PF/C Rico Canty with 10 points. We played our entire bench extensively and our subs combined for 39 points.

[PointGuard]

Jan. 31: Mississippi Valley Delta Devils (5-15, 3-4) @ Grambling Tigers (11-9, 4-3)

Another home game against a weak opponent. But this time we barely squeaked by with a 64-60 win. We were in control the entire first half during which we held as much as a 14 point lead. But we were overconfident in the 2nd half and let the Delta Devils come back to spend much of the middle 12 minutes of the half with a small lead. We fought back to edge ahead in the final 2 minutes of the game. None of our players scored in double figures even though all 5 of our starters scored 8 or 9 points apiece. But a win’s a win and we’re now in a 3-way tie for 2nd place, just a game behind SWAC leader, Bethune-Cookman.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 3: Grambling Tigers (12-9, 5-3) @ Florida A&M Rattlers (9-12, 5-3)

This was a contest between 2 of the teams tied for 2nd place in the conference. We came out playing lock-down D and sprinted to a 41-24 halftime lead. We held onto a double-digit lead the entire 2nd half and reeled off a strong 71-54 victory. We dominated all aspects of the game. SG/PG Jon Benoit poured in 22 points plus had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. PG Brian Fox had 21 points and 4 assists. With this win we took over sole possession of 2nd place in the SWAC. Injury report: PF Rico Canty strained his knee which is a bummer since it’ll take him 2 weeks to recover and we’re already short-handed inside with C Correy Parker out for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 7: Grambling Tigers (13-9, 6-3) @ Southern Jaguars (10-11, 5-3)

This game was exceptionally close for 35 of the 40 minutes. There were 21 lead changes and 8 ties during the game. Southern outshot us 60% to 48% and we were -8 on the boards. But we turned the ball over just 5 times while forcing the Jaguars to make 14 turnovers. Rico Canty played just 16 minutes because of his injury, but made the most of his court time by scoring 20 points. PF Brody Rowland, SG/PG Jon Benoit, and SF Ukko Noronen each scored 11 points. Benoit also had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Behune-Cookman lost so we’re now tied for 1st place in the conference with the Wildcats.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 10: Alabama A&M Bulldogs (12-11, 4-6) @ Grambling Tigers (14-9, 7-3)

The first half was a tough battle. The score was close the entire way with 10 lead changes. We eked out a small 42-40 lead at halftime. Our offense continued to gel in the 2nd half, while our D stymied the Bulldogs. We gradually pulled away to score a commanding 87-69 win. PF Brody Rowland had a big game with 18 points and 5 boards. C Aleem Charles had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. SG/PG Jon Benoit scored 13 and pulled down 5 rebounds. PG Brian Fox had 11 points and 4 assists. SF David Heyward came off the bench to add 10 points.

[PointGuard]

Feb.14: Grambling Tigers (15-9, 8-3) @ Prairie View Panthers (8-16, 7-4)

Another tough first half. We came out strong and opened a 12 point lead only to have to endure having the Panthers reel us back in. By the end of the half our lead had shrunk to a single point at 32-31. Prairie View edged ahead in the early portion of the 2nd half. But with 11 minutes to go, our offense caught fire and we rolled to a 78-66 win. PG Brian Fox had another big game with 22 points. SG/PG Jon Benoit scored 17 and had 5 assists. C Aleem Charles had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. SF Ukko Noronen put in 10 points plus had 3 assists and 3 steals. Fortunately we overcame a 30 point performance by the Panthers’ C Perry Shumpert.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 17: Grambling Tigers (16-9, 9-3) @ Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (12-12, 8-3)

I would have liked this game for 1st place to be played on our court rather than the Wildcats’ court. But the schedule is the schedule. So let's see how it goes:

Bethune Cookman was cookin’ in the first half. At the midpoint they were up by 11 points. But in the final 8 minutes we were able to slow their offense which gave us the chance to narrow the gap little by little. When the first 20 minutes concluded we finally were in striking distance, trailing 31-27.

We continued to hamper the Wildcats shot selection in the 2nd half. Our D also forced Bethune Cookman to make numerous turnovers. PG Brian Fox outdueled his counterpart Joe Anderson and hit 7 of 9 shots from the field. We finally edged ahead with 13 minutes left in the game. But the Wildcats clawed their way back and the final 5 minutes were a back-and-forth affair. With 17 seconds on the clock, we were behind 57-56. SG Jon Benoit whipped a pass over to PF Brody Rowland on the right side. Brody took his man to the hoop and muscled up a shot that rolled around and in. Brody was fouled on the shot and dropped in the resulting free throw to put us up 59-57. Bethune Cookman took a timeout to set up a play. I told our guys to stick with their man, but to not foul. We were able to keep them from getting loose for a shot until there were just 3 seconds to go. Their difficult 18 foot jumper clanked off the rim and we won a big road game that increased our control of 1st place in the SWAC to 1-1/2 games with 3 games left in the regular season.

Brian Fox finished with 16 points, C Aleem scored 11 and pulled down 9 boards.

[PointGuard]

Good News!

I was informed today that C Correy Parker’s broken ankle is healing well and it’s likely he’ll be able to be back playing for us in 2 weeks. That means he’ll be teaming up with Aleem Charles to give us a formidable inside duo for the conference tournament. Parker averaged 11.1 ppg before his injury. And with 3 other players averaging in double figures (Jon Benoit—11.4, Aleem Charles—10.6; and Brian Fox—10.0), that will made it a lot tougher to stop our offense.