LORMAN &8212; Down by three with 7.9 seconds to play, Alcorn coach Samuel West called timeout to diagram one final play.

West drew a scheme to get the ball into point guard Alleo Frazier&8217;s hands, who would dribble upcourt before passing to Delvin Thompson.

The plan worked to perfection, but Thompson&8217;s 3-pointer as time expired grazed off the front of the rim.Grambling State escaped with a 65-62 win.

&8220;We got the ball to Alleo, and we wanted to kick the ball to Delvin,&8221; West said. &8220;We wanted Delvin to drive, but he took the shot. I can live with that. Delvin plays as hard as anybody.&8221;

The loss marked the first conference setback for the Braves (3-10 overall, 3-1 in SWAC) and snapped a three-game winning streak.

Grambling State&8217;s Brion Rush scored the final 10 points for the Tigers (4-7, 2-2), hitting eight straight free throws before nailing a 15-footer with 7.9 seconds to play.

During the final five minutes, Grambling simply turned the ball over the Rush &045; the league&8217;s leading scorer.

On Grambling&8217;s next-to-last possession, however, Thompson knocked the ball from Rush. In the scrum for the ball, Rush regained possession and was fouled.

&8220;We had him stopped,&8221; West said. &8220;We just didn&8217;t go after it.&8221;

Rush finished with 22 points &8212; three below his average &8212; but he made the plays when it counted the most

&8220;You can&8217;t stop a kid like that. He&8217;s the leading scorer in the league,&8221; West said. &8220;You can only try to contain him.&8221;

Andre Ratliff added 19 points for Grambling.

Thompson led Alcorn with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He was also 9-of-11 at the free throw line. Juan Wyatt and Carl Landry added 11 points apiece for the Braves.