Morehouse Defeats Howard In Thrilling MLK Day Classic Showdown

The Maroon Tigers overcame a deficit to stun the Howard Bison in an unforgettable clash of the storied HBCUs.

Morehouse Defeats Howard / Credit: A.D. Drew, Morehouse College Athletics

Morehouse College (9-8, 6-3 SIAC) delivered an exhilarating upset against Howard University on MLK Day in our nation's capital. Nearly 2,700 HBCU basketball fans filled Burr Gymnasium to witness an historic victory by the Maroon Tigers over the Bison.

"I am super excited for our young men and alumni," Coach Douglas Whittler said. "To win this game on MLK day in a hostile environment is big time for our program. It was a battle of attrition, and tonight, we were able to withstand their runs and compete to the end to win the game."  

Monday's triumph was Morehouse's first against an NCAA Division I basketball program since beating Howard in their 1997 home-and-home series, according to the A.D. Drew.

Senior guard Jaden Gray led the Maroon Tigers with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal on the afternoon.  

Cedric Taylor scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, made two steals, and blocked a shot, while Sincere Key contributed 17 points, collected four rebounds, and had two steals in the victory.

Howard Falls To Morehouse / Credit: David Sierra, Howard Athletics

The Maroon Tigers were ahead of the Bison at halftime, 40-28, shooting at 45.2% efficiency from the floor and 57.2% from three-point range.

The home team improved in the second half, as Howard achieved 48.4% shooting from the field and 37.5% on three-pointers.  

Marcus Dockery led with a game-high 28 points. He also amassed six rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists in the loss.  

Morehouse's defense held freshman sensation Blake Harper in check most of the game, but he contributed 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished eight assists to his teammates.   

Cameron Shockley-Okeke scored 16 points despite missing 15 of 21 shots. Jaren Johnson contributed 10 points for Coach Blakeney's Howard team.

Morehouse Beats Howard / Credit: A.D. Drew, Morehouse College Athletics

A.D. Drew, Morehouse College SID, accounts for the final moments of the clash: "With Morehouse trailing by 71-69 with less than three minutes remaining,  would be fouled but miss the one-and-one.   would grab the offensive rebound and make the basket while being fouled.  Decker missed the free throw, leaving the score tied at 71-71 with 2:43 remaining. 

Howard would miss a jump shot on the ensuing possession, but Morehouse, with an opportunity to take the lead, would turn the ball over.  The Bison would convert on the fastbreak with a dunk to retake the lead.  With ice water in his veins,  would sink a three-pointer from 25 feet out to give the Maroon Tigers the lead.

After the Bison missed a three-point attempt,  sank another three-pointer for the visitors to extend the Maroon Tiger lead to 77-73.  With 1:02 left, Howard would answer with a shot from behind the arc and call a timeout, scoring 77-76 in favor of Morehouse.

Morehouse would run the shot clock down and miss the attempt, opening the door for the Bison.  Howard had two chances to tie the game in the final 30 seconds. 

Howard, however, would miss a shot from the paint, and Morehouse would secure the rebound, forcing the Bison to foul .  Gray would sink both free throws with 9.0 seconds remaining in the game to increase the lead to 79-76. 

Howard would come down and look for a shot, but Morehouse would deflect the ball out-of-bounds, in front of the Howard bench, with 4.7 seconds remaining. 

Howard would get off a potential game-tying three-point shot, but the attempt would hit the front of the rim, and the horn would go off before either team could secure the rebound. 

The crowd would be quieted as Morehouse would walk out of Burr Gymnasium with a 79-76 victory."

Team Comparison

• Field Goals: Morehouse 41.8% (28/67), Howard 39.7% (25/63)
• Dre Watson waves bye-bye to the Howard crowd
• Three-Point Shooting: Morehouse 44.1% (15/34), Howard 25.7% (9/35)
• Turnovers: Both teams committed 12, but Morehouse capitalized with 13 points off turnovers.
• Rebounds: Howard 43, Morehouse 39

Key Performers

• : Led all scorers with a career-high 22 points (4/7 3PT), adding three rebounds and three assists.
• : Contributed 17 points (4/8 3PT) and seven rebounds while playing stout defense.
• : Added 15 points (5/10 3PT), energizing the Tigers with timely buckets.
• : Anchored the paint with 8 points, five rebounds, and critical defensive plays.

UP NEXT

Morehouse has twelve SIAC battles ahead of its schedule. Next, the Maroon Tigers will host Fort Valley State on Alumni Day on Saturday, Jan. 25. The contest will tip off at 1 PM inside Forbes Arena-McAfee Court in Atlanta, GA — live broadcast on the SIAC Network.

Howard returns to action at 12:30 PM ET against Norfolk State in Norfolk, VA, on Saturday, Jan. 25. The game will broadcast live on ESPNU.

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