The Maroon Tigers are undefeated in conference play (5-0) following a 71-66 victory over Lane College on Monday, Dec. 18.
With Morehouse ahead 69-66 and five seconds remaining in the game, freshman guard Damion Mitchell, Jr. made both of his free-throw attempts, putting the game away for the home team. Mitchell finished the game with six points, three rebounds, and three assists, while junior forward Amahn Decker scored a team-high 20 points (nine of which came from the free-throw line) before fouling out of the game.
Freshman Cedric Taylor III, the only Atlanta native on the roster, contributed eight points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Taylor’s layup made the score 68-63 late. The score came on the end of Morehouse skillfully breaking the Dragon’s press with less than a minute to play in the game.
Senior guard Keshawn Pegues and junior guard Demetrius Calip II each scored 11 points. With Morehouse ahead by three points midway through the first half, Calip II, a California native and East LA College transfer, connected on three consecutive three-pointers to give his team a 10-point lead for the first time in the game. That would be the last time the Maroon Tigers led by double-figures the entire game.
While both teams shot poorly from the field, they each made 21 free-throw attempts. That focus would be necessary as the game clock and shot clock malfunctioned early in the second half of the game. One of the shots that was missed was a windmill dunk attempt by Lane junior guard Muhammed Kora with his team behind 64-61. The Dragons’ head coach Andre Turner and assistant coach Tyran Davis both put their heads in their hands as the ball bounced off the back of the rim.
Morehouse will return to the court with a road trip to Kentucky and Ohio. On January 4 they played at Kentucky State, before playing at Central State University two days later. The Maroon Tigers return home to Forbes Arena to host Allen University on Saturday, Jan. 13.
There is a mid-season break in the SIAC action when an exhibition against the Howard University Bison at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 15.