MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama State University men's basketball dropped a 65-63 SWAC contest on Thursday night at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

Alabama State (10-21, 7-11 SWAC) led by nine at the break but was outscored 38-27 in the second half as Grambling State (13-18, 7-11 SWAC) rallied late to secure the win.

Micah Simpson led the Hornets with 15 points, while Jerquarius Stanback added 11 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Byrd contributed eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds, and Tyler Mack and Tyler Mason each chipped in eight points off the bench.

Grambling was paced by Jamil Muttilib, who poured in a game-high 27 points, including a perfect 7-for-7 effort at the free-throw line. Roderick Coffee III added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers.

Key Moments

Alabama State controlled much of the opening half, building momentum behind its perimeter shooting. The Hornets used a late run capped by a three-pointer from Damarien Yates with 10 seconds remaining to take a 36-27 halftime lead.

Grambling slowly chipped away in the second half behind Muttilib's scoring. The Tigers took advantage of Alabama State's cold shooting from beyond the arc after halftime and eventually grabbed their first lead of the half during the final minutes.

With the game tightly contested down the stretch, Grambling held off the Hornets in the closing possessions to secure the two-point victory. The contest featured 10 lead changes and 10 ties.

Team Notes

Alabama State struggled from the field, shooting 37.3 percent overall and 22.2 percent from three-point range. Grambling also shot under 35 percent but capitalized at the free-throw line and in the paint, where the Tigers held a 34-26 advantage in points in the paint.

The Hornets dominated bench production 27-8 and held a slight rebounding edge, 43-39, but could not overcome the Tigers' second-half push.

Alabama State returns to court on Monday in the SWAC Tournament against an opponent and time to be determined.