Birmingham, Ala. — Jordan Smith scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half and Grambling won its first Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament series with a 75-66 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday night.
Grambling (20-14) built a double-digit lead in the first half after leading by as many as 18 points in the first half.
Antoine Burnett added 14 points for Grambling. Jonathan Agu had 12 points and Kindavious Dozier had 10 points. Smith and Burnett combined for five of Grambling's eight 3-pointers. Tra'Michael Moden, who scored 26 points against Bethune-Cookman in the semifinals, added eight points with seven assists.
Jonathan Cisse scored 21 points and Dianne Stroud added 16 for No. 3 Texas Southern (16-16).
Smith hit three 3-pointers to help Grambling take a 41-24 halftime lead. The Tigers made 22 of their 44 field goals, including seven from long range in the first half.
Grambling led 42-24 and held a double-digit lead most of the way. Texas Southern pulled within seven points twice in the final minute.