Photo via @ming.pix

Written By: Justin Darden, Sports Producer

The intensity in Forbes Arena was through the roof from start to finish. In a game of runs, Deleware State University’s even-keeled approach to the game sealed the 71-63 win over Grambling State University. 

Both side’s fanbases showed up, yelling at referees and cheering on their teams, and right out of the gates, the Grambling sideline played a pivotal role in their first-half success. The team came out laser-focused to start, pressing DSU with their tough defense in the half-court and relentless rebounding. Despite what seemed to be an advantage in the crowd for Grambling, DSU blocked out the noise by answering every test Grambling threw at them.

Through it all, DSU was up 32-25 at halftime, and the point guard play of starting point guard Martaz Robinson was the biggest reason. 

Robinson had to take the next step with his game, as he had a team-high 19 points. Throughout the game, especially in the second half, Robinson remained calm and slowed down the game, making Grambling play at DSU’s speed. 

Robinson mentioned how important this game was this evening. 

“Coming off a tough loss versus our rival Delaware, we lost our starting point guard, so we were just trying to build confidence off that,” Robinson said. “We started with a rough three-game losing streak, but this game gave us the confidence to bounce back.”

Grambling wouldn’t give up, as they cut the lead down to five with just 6:19 to go in the second half, but DSU answered back, taking a commanding double-digit lead with just over two minutes left in the game. 

Ultimately, the late effort comeback by Grambling wasn’t enough, and DSU showed their battle-tested resilience and pulled out their first win of the season. 

“One of the things we talk about all the time is maintaining your composure and being able to play through some adversity,” Head Coach of Delaware State Stan Waterman said. “We had some adversity early on; we were without our starting point guard who got hurt in the last game, and we had a starter go down with a concussion, and we talked all the time about the next man up, So the next guy was ready to come in.”

Copy edited by: Kobe Scales, Sports Editor