MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Interstat) — Two teams looking to build momentum for the SWAC tournament will meet Thursday when the Grambling Tigers visit the Alabama State Hornets at Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

Grambling (12-17, 9-7 SWAC) enters having lost three straight, including a 59-66 home defeat to Florida A&M on Saturday. The Tigers have struggled offensively during the skid, averaging just 64.3 points per game. They will lean on guard Derrius Ward, who is coming off a 17-point effort in 40 minutes against Florida A&M and scored 24 in a loss to Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 26. Ward was a key contributor in the first meeting with Alabama State this season, logging 32 minutes in a 57-47 Grambling victory on Feb. 7.

Alabama State (10-18, 8-8) snapped a two-game slide with a dramatic 89-88 road win at Alabama A&M on Saturday. Guard Micah Simpson led the way with 24 points, including the game-winning free throws with one second remaining. Simpson, who averages a team-high 15.2 points in conference play, scored 15 in the earlier loss to Grambling. The Hornets have found a rhythm at home lately, winning three of their last four at the Acadome, with victories coming by an average margin of 24 points.

The matchup is a critical one for SWAC tournament seeding. Grambling currently sits in fifth place, just a half-game ahead of sixth-place Alabama State. A win would give the Tigers the season sweep and a valuable tiebreaker, while the Hornets aim to defend their home court and climb the standings.

Thursday’s contest will tip off at 8:30 p.m. EST. Grambling leads the all-time series 12-5 since 2010, but Alabama State holds a 4-3 advantage in games played in Montgomery over that span.