By Zachary Greene, Staff Writer

One of the most exciting HBCU rivalries is back in action! The Morehouse Basketball team faced off against Clark Atlanta University men’s basketball team on Thursday evening at L.S. Epps Gymnasium. The neighboring schools last played on February 15th, 2020.

The Maroon Tigers went into Thursday’s game with a 10-game win streak. They are 11-2 in SIAC play and rank first in the eastern division.

Morehouse has been dominant in this rivalry. Since 2011, Morehouse has gone 12-10 against Clark Atlanta. They face off again on February 12th at Frank L. Forbes Arena.

Morehouse was unable to play Clark Atlanta last season due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Sophomore guards Elijah Stewart and Andrew Stewart were especially excited for last night’s game. The twin brothers played their freshman year at Clark Atlanta.

“We try to take every game like it’s a home game. But of course, because of the AUC rivalry game, we’re more hype for it,” Elijah said.

Both brothers wanted to play for Morehouse coming out of high school; but, decided to wait and play for Clark.

“We really came [to Morehouse] because of Coach Grady Brewer,” Andrew said.

Senior forward Xavier Brewer has played on the team since his freshman year. He believes this year’s team is one of the best he’s played on. The team struggled early in the season but managed to turn things around.

“We all bought into our role and that’s what put us on the streak,” Brewer said. “We don’t want to lose another game. We want to win out the rest of the regular season, win tournament, and then go to the national tournament and win it all.”

The gym was packed with about 1500 people in attendance and more lined up outside. Tipoff was scheduled for 6:00 p.m., but the game was postponed until 7:00 PM. However, this didn’t stop the excitement of the fans in attendance.

It didn’t take long for the scoring to begin as the Panthers went on a 6-0 run to start the first half. However, the Maroon Tigers responded with a transition 3-pointer from guard Elijah Stewart. The Panthers trailed the Maroon Tigers 32-29 by the end of the half.

Morehouse continued scoring the ball throughout the second half. They shot an efficient 60% from deep and 80% from the free-throw line. They routed the Panthers, beating them 84-64.

Senior guard Noah Morgan led the Maroon Tigers in scoring with 17 points. He scored 6 of 11 from the field and went 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Elijah Stewart also went 6 of 11 from the field, scoring 13 points in just 15 minutes.

Xavier Brewer contributed 11 points in the victory, on an efficient 50% from the field and 60% from three.

The Maroon Tigers look to stay hot for the rest of the regular season and keep the winning streak going into the postseason.