The first time was the charm for Grambling State University as it picked up a win in its first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
Grambling State rebounded from a slow start in the first half to knock off Montana State 88-81 in overtime at the NCAA Tournament First Four. It will face no. 1 seed Purdue University in Indianapolis on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7:25 PM.
The Tigers went on an incredible 23-6 run to take a 70-67 lead late in the second half. It shot 50 percent from the field for the game, 40 percent from the 3-point line and out-rebounded their opponents 41-27 on the night after trailing 40-33 at halftime.
Jim Coffer led the way with 19 points for Grambling State. He averages 2.8 points per game on the season.
“My team had my back,” Coffer told CBS reporters after the game. “Anybody on this team can get hot and tonight was just my night.”
Grambling State becomes the second SWAC program to win a First Four game, joining Texas Southern University. It improved to 21-14 on the season as it prepares to take on Purdue. Purdue finds itself in a similar predicament to last season as it faced no. 16 seed Farleigh-Dickinson and became just the second top seed to fall to a bottom seed in NCAA Tournament history.
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