Photo by A.D Drew and Morehouse Athletics

By: Tyler Lewis, Staff Writer

On Monday, coming in as 18.5-point underdogs, the Morehouse Maroon Tigers defeated the Howard Bison in a thrilling matchup 79-76. This was the Maroon Tigers first win over a NCAA Division I team since 1996 against Howard.

The Maroon Tigers were led by senior guard, Jaden Gray, with 22 points and sophomore forward, Cedric Taylor III, with 17 points and seven rebounds. A big impact in the game was the team’s ability to shoot the three ball well. The team shot 44% from the 3-point line with a team-high five makes from junior guard Sincere Key. 

“I’m extremely happy for our kids, alumni, and the entire Maroon Tiger Nation that supports us every year to get this win,” said Coach Whittler. “Getting this win on MLK day was definitely special. This shows we can compete at this level, and there’s no doubt in my mind that we can compete with most D1 programs in the nation if we can close the gap in the NIL space.” 

The Maroon Tigers opened the game up with tremendous intensity and emotion in the first half. Coach Whittler’s clever game plan suppressed the Bison while capitalizing on the offensive end of the court. The team found success on the defensive side, forcing seven turnovers which led to a 40-28 lead at halftime. 

The Bison emerged from the locker room energized. They went on a 12-2 run in the first five minutes to cut the Maroon Tigers lead to two points. The Bison capitalized on missed jumpers and errors by the Maroon Tigers. The momentum would then change when the Bison drained a contested 3-pointer, electrifying the home crowd. 

The Maroon Tigers were able to regroup with the help of Amahn Decker, who took control of the paint. He prevented the Bison from scoring easy shots inside the paint.  

“We continued to let our guys know that we were going to win this game,” Coach Whittler said. “Whether we were up 16 or down eight, we told our guys that we were going to win. I could see in their eyes that they believed me when I said it.” 

In the final moments of the game, the Maroon Tigers took advantage of the low shot clock and forced two stops on defense. This led to a clutch pair of free throws by Jaden Gray with nine seconds left to give the Maroon Tigers a three-point lead. Howard would miss an attempted game-tying 3-pointer ending their hopes of overtime.  

“Beating a Division I team has given our guys a lot of confidence,” said Coach Whittler. “Confidence that will take us on a huge run in this second half of the season, and all the way up to an SIAC Championship and a NCAA tournament bid.” 

Morehouse looks to use this momentum as they head back home to face off against Fort Valley State on Saturday, January 25th at 1:00 pm EST.

Copy Edited by Rece Allen, Sports Editor