JACKSON – The Jackson State men's basketball team never trailed and earned a 71-60 win over Grambling Saturday evening in Southwestern Athletic Conference action from the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center.
 
JSU improves to 10-17 and 7-7 in SWAC play, while Grambling falls to 13-14 and 7-7 in conference action.
 
The Tigers had four student-athletes finish in double figures. Senior Chris Howell dropped a team-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. The Milwaukee native also added seven rebounds and handed out a pair of assists.
 
Freshman Jayveous McKinnis scored 16 points and hauled in seven rebounds and recorded a pair of blocks – including a thunderous swat with 50 seconds remaining in the game to essentially closeout the contest.
 
Venjie Wallis added 13 points and came down with seven rebounds while dishing out five assists and recording three steals. The junior was also 6-of-8 at the free-throw line.
 
William Brown came off the bench and provided instant offense. The Jackson native scored 11 points and was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
 
As a team, JSU shot 53.3 percent (24-of-35) from the field, including an electric 62 percent (17-of-27) in the first half.
 
The Blue and White, known for its defense, forced into 14 turnovers which was deposited for 18 points.
 
JSU is off Monday and returns to action next Saturday at Mississippi Valley State.