Shawne Allen takes a three-pointer during the Lemoyne-Owen game.

The Morehouse Maroon Tigers came through on a nail biter over the Lemoyne-Owen College Magicians, 56-53.

This is the second time that the Tigers have been on a two game winning streak and their fourth win in five games as they seem to be jelling at the right point of the season.

The Tigers got off to a very strong start early in the first half with good looks inside, but later became nullified as the Magicians began to apply pressure which forced the Tigers into eight first half turnovers. This allowed the Magicians to spread the wealth in the scoring department with seven different players scoring. The Magicians would take a 10 point lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers redirected their efforts and looked to chip away at the lead.  With 8:20 remaining in the second half, the Tigers were able to cut the deficit to three courtesy of another double-double performance from Andrae Nelson. Nelson’s 15 points and 11 rebounds helped the Tigers get back into the contest.

The defensive pressure of the Maroon Tigers forced 10 steals and created 13 turnovers against the Magicians and helped to turn the tide.

Coach Grady Brewer said, “Execution kills and the game came down to making plays.”

With 8.7 seconds left, the Maroon Tigers took the lead with a Nelson hook shot in the post and forced the Magicians to call a timeout. After the timeout, Edwin Shorter of the Magicians looked to drive to the basket but Shawn Allen forced a charging call which allowed the Tigers to close out the game with free throws. Daniyal Faquir who led all scorers with 16 closed out the game with two free throws which pushed the score to 56-53.

The next game for the Maroon Tigers is against Benedict College on Monday at 7:30pm.

-Paul Marshall

The Maroon Tigers did not hesitate to establish an interior presence which was aided by junior Andrae Nelson who ended the night with 31 points and 10 rebounds.

Morehouse took the lead early and did not look to ease up on the pressure creating as much as a 13 point deficit for the Golden Tigers to overcome.

At halftime, Calvin Thomas was the bright spot for the Golden Tigers as he shot a blistering 5 of 6 from three point range to cut the Maroon Tiger lead to three, trailing 41-38.

Once the second half ensued, the Maroon Tigers continued to go back to the post with inside scoring that helped push the lead to eight.

The Golden Tigers had seldom scoring from other players but the brunt of the scoring fell on the shoulders of Thomas who finished the night with 29 points.

The Golden Tigers appeared to have a little gleam of hope when Keith Winn Jr. scored six points to cut the lead to eight, however the lead was a bit too much for the Golden Tigers to surmount.  As Shawn Allen closed out the game hitting key free throws down the stretch, he finished the night with 28 points.

The next Maroon Tigers home game is Wednesday at Forbes Arena against Memphis’ LeMoyne-Owen Magicians at 7:30.

-Paul Marshall

“If you want to talk sports, Take it to the HOUSE!!”

Dishone Gregory (10) dunks the ball emphatically during Saturday's rematch.

The Morehouse Tigers fell to their AUC rivals, Clark Atlanta University Panthers, 85-67, Saturday afternoon in a rematch of the earlier contest on Jan. 26.

The Tigers who were led by Shawn Allen , the number two scorer in the SIAC with 19 points per game, were not able to overcome the runs that were sustained by the Panthers who had a balanced attack with five players reaching double figures.  The Panthers shot 10-18 from three-point range while making 25 out of 29 free throws.

The Panthers applied full court pressure which prevented Morehouse from setting up their offense at times. The pressure caused Morehouse to make agitating errors, leading to costly turnovers.

 At halftime, the Tigers were down by 11 but came out in the second half energized and with a different mindset. Morehouse attacked the basket more which allowed them to grind away at the Panthers’ lead and narrow the deficit to as little as five, trailing 39-34.

The Panthers returned the favor with a combination of three-point field goals and layups which also drew free throw opportunities and thus allowed the Panthers to increase their lead. The Panthers would not lose their lead during any point in the second half.

Morehouse appeared poised at moments to make runs and create more stops, but the lead was too great to surmount. Logan Shoffner, Antonio Burch, Royce Hamilton, and Brandon O’Brien all scored 15 points for Clark Atlanta as they kept their foot on the gas until the final buzzer.

The Panthers’ next game is Monday against the Lemoyne-Owen Magicians at 8:00 in Henderson Arena.

-Paul Marshall

The Morehouse Maroon Tigers had their longest winning streak snapped during the last seconds of Thursday night’s contest against Albany State, 65-64. 

In the final Albany State possession, Justin Wilcox nailed the game winning 3-pointer in the right corner which eclipsed the Tigers lead forcing a timeout with seven seconds remaining. On the final possession, Daniyal Faquir misfired on a look from the wing which was followed by a Morehouse rebound and missed put-back in traffic, allowing the Albany State Rams to escape with a win. 

The Golden Rams benefitted from early game fouls on 3-point field goal attempts, allowed them to jump out to a comfortable lead which was as large as 10 points. At the half, the Golden Rams took a five point lead into the locker room. The Tigers responded to runs made by the Rams despite missing key inside scoring opportunities throughout the game. The Maroon Tigers appeared to have the game wrapped up due to a key rejection by Andrae Nelson, but the Rams were able to respond to adversity even in the midst of heavy commotion. 

Demarcus Blunt led the Golden Rams with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Shawn Allen led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Andrae Nelson hauled in 13 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Morehouse had 3 players in double figures.

“I tell them [Morehouse players] to “Do Your Job,” said Coach Brewer,  which has been a constant staple throughout the year for his team. He also added that he feels that tonight’s game would serve as a good lesson learned and that his team will be ready to play for the next game.

Their next game will be a big one, as the Tigers will face their AUC rival, Clark Atlanta at 3:30pm on Saturday in Forbes Arena. This will be the grudge match against Clark Atlanta which beat Morehouse 77-64 on January 26.

-Paul Marshall

Andrae Nelson's home return provided a spark for the Maroon Tigers.

​The Morehouse Maroon Tigers won their first home game in over a month’s play after defeating the Fort Valley State Wildcats, 80-74. Morehouse College (5-14) looked refurbished and refreshed with a rejuvenated Andrae Nelson, back home after a career threatening injury he suffered playing against Paine College on January 17.

​The Maroon Tigers started the game against the Wildcats (9-12) with a sense of urgency and intensity, traits that have seemingly been absent from the team during their mid-season slump. Nelson, along with Shawn Allen and Daniyal Faquir had all scored double- digits by the end of the first half. Together, they combined for 31 points leading Fort Valley by 22 at the end of the half. The Wildcats struggled from 3-point range in the first half, attempting eight and making none.

​Though deep in the hole to start the second half, the Wildcats came out of the locker room convinced that they could climb back and steal the game from the Maroon Tigers who were on their high horse. Scoring 54 points in the second period, 15 of which coming from behind the arc, the Wildcats closed the gap to three with under four minutes to play in regulation.

However, Morehouse was fortunate enough to hold on, following the leadership play of junior guard Allen who scored some big buckets during crunch time to keep the Wildcats at bay.

After the game, Morehouse head coach Grady Brewer had a chance to smile for once walking back to the locker room. When asked, ‘How does it feel to finally get a home win in the books?’ he simply responded, “We have to keep the streak alive.”

Allen had the game high with a double- double, 26 points and 12 rebounds. Nelson had 17 points and Faquir scored 12.
​Meanwhile, four Wildcats scored in double digits; Corbyn Moye scored 11, Cecil Bent had 15 points, Rashad Thomas scored 13, and Johuah Davis led the team with 16 points.

The ​Maroon Tigers’ next assignment is against the Albany State Golden Rams Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

- Keion Grissom

​

“If you want to talk sports TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE!”

Morehouse struggled with frustrating mistakes during the loss.

The rivalry between the Clark Atlanta University Panthers and Morehouse College Maroon Tigers is unmatched by any other close proximity institutions of higher learning.

“The rivalry is there for football, basketball, track, marbles, tiddlywinks, whatever you want,” head coach Grady Brewer told a writer from ESPN last season.

Thursday night’s basketball game drew a crowd of 5,122 students and alumni from both schools into a packed Forbes Arena for another chapter in the historic rivalry.

Morehouse, with a regular season record of 3-11 came into the game on a 5 game losing streak, while Clark (8-9) has won 5 of their last 7 games.  These trends continued on Thursday when the Panthers defeated the Maroon Tigers 77-64.

The energy from both teams was high throughout the game but the depletion of the Morehouse roster due to injury proved to be the difference.  The team’s most consistent defensive player, rebounder and post presence this season, Andre Nelson, was forced to sit the game out to recover from a concussion he suffered in the game against Paine College on January 17.

Shawn Allen, the teams most consistent offensive threat provided a spark of energy for Morehouse when he got a steal in the first half that led to a breakaway dunk.  Allen carried much of the load offensively for the tigers with a game high 24 points and 11 rebounds.  Daniyal Faquir and Cornez “Boosie” Nesbitt both chipped in 10 points a piece, but it was not enough.

The Panthers executed the pick and roll between Chano Rashiduddin and Logan Shoffner all night long.  They attacked the dysfunctional transition defense of the Maroon Tigers repeatedly. “We got out on the break, made eye contact and we already knew what to do,” said CAU forward Willis Brownlee who caught an ally-oop pass for a dunk in the second half that seemed to slam the door shut on the Maroon Tigers’ chances of snapping their losing streak.

The Maroon Tigers will have the opportunity to avenge their loss when the rivalry continues on February 11 in the rematch and possibly again in the SIAC Tournament in March.  Hopefully by then the Tigers will be at full strength getting Nelson back from injury.  Until then, the Panthers have temporary bragging rights on the court.  The overall record since 1988 still belongs to the men of Morehouse with a record of 26-17.

-Quincy Young

Staff Writer

Atlanta, GA — After being spotted a four point lead, Morehouse couldn’t manage to bring enough energy to beat the winless Lane College Dragons. The Dragons (1-10) got their first victory of the season, trumping Morehouse 61-55 Saturday in Forbes Arena. Lane’s Ashton Patton led the game in scoring with 19 points.

Morehouse had a dismal shooting night, only completing 32 percent from the field. Morehouse big man Andrae Nelson and guard Shawn Allen, tried their best to keep Morehouse in the game with double-doubles in points and rebounds.  Nelson had 18 points and 12 rebounds with a few blocks while Allen had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Struggling from the field as a team, Morehouse also lacked intensity and energy during the game as they lost their second straight home game. Head coach Grady Brewer of the Maroon Tigers said that they will turn back to practice to look for answers within the team.

Heading into a brief road trip stint, the Tigers will take on Paine, Stillman and Tuskegee over the next week before returning back to Atlanta.

Morehouse College’s next home game will be against their AUC rivals, Clark Atlanta University Panthers, January 26^th at 7:30 inside Forbes Arena.

- Keion Grissom