MORROW, Ga. — The Morehouse Maroon Tigers captured the SIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Saturday night with a 66–56 victory over the Tuskegee Golden Tigers at the Clayton County Convocation Center, a venue the Maroon Tigers affectionately dubbed "Forbes Arena South." Entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed from the SIAC East, Morehouse completed a dominant three-game run to claim the program's seventh SIAC Tournament Championship and its first conference tournament title since 2003.
The victory secures Morehouse's first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance since 2018, as the Maroon Tigers improved to 22–9 overall. The win also set a program milestone for head coach Larry Dixon, whose 22 victories are the most by a Morehouse head coach in his first season.
The championship also carried historic significance for Athletic Director Harold Ellis '92, who became the first Morehouse Man to win both a regular season and tournament championship in the same season as both a player and as athletic director.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
Tuskegee came out strong early, using perimeter shooting to build an 8–0 lead in the opening minutes. Khalil Genwright opened the scoring with a three-pointer and Roy Obsaint followed with another triple to give the Golden Tigers an early cushion.
Morehouse quickly answered after turning to its bench. Sincere Key sparked the Maroon Tigers with back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the deficit to 8–6 before adding a jumper to tie the game at 10–10.
The momentum fully shifted when Morehouse began attacking inside. Josiah Lawson scored on consecutive possessions in the paint during a 13–4 run, giving the Maroon Tigers a 23–14 lead midway through the half.
Morehouse continued to stretch the advantage with strong perimeter shooting. Sincere Moore knocked down two three-pointers, while Jared Whiteconverted a three-point play in transition, pushing the lead to 26–14.
Late in the half, the Maroon Tigers added another burst when JerMontae Hill buried a three-pointer, followed by a Caleb Thompson fast-break layup off a Brandon Peters steal, extending the margin to 31–16.
Tuskegee trimmed the deficit late when R.J. Walker hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds, but Morehouse maintained control heading into halftime with a 33–24 lead.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
Morehouse wasted little time building on its halftime lead. Brandon Peters opened the half with a three-pointer, and moments later JerMontae Hillconnected from beyond the arc, pushing the lead to 39–25.
Peters struck again from long range, capping a 9–1 Maroon Tiger run and extending the lead to 42–25, the largest advantage of the night.
Tuskegee responded with a push midway through the half. Anthony Wright and Kusamae Draper generated second-chance points and interior scoring to cut the deficit to 44–34.
Each time the Golden Tigers threatened, Morehouse answered. Sincere Key connected on a deep 2-point jumper, and Lawson followed with a three-point play, restoring a double-digit advantage at 49–36.
Lawson delivered the decisive moment moments later when he buried a three-pointer during a scoring burst that stretched the lead to 54–38, effectively halting Tuskegee's comeback attempt.
Morehouse controlled the final minutes with defensive stops and steady offensive execution, closing out the 66–56 victory to secure the SIAC championship.
TEAM COMPARISON
- Field Goals: Morehouse – 24-50 (48%) | Tuskegee – 19-53 (35.8%)
- Three-Point Shooting: Morehouse – 10-28 | Tuskegee – 5-21
- Rebounds: Tuskegee – 35 | Morehouse – 32
- Assists: Morehouse – 12 |Tuskegee – 6
- Bench Points: Morehouse – 31 Tuskegee – 9
- Turnovers: Morehouse – 13 | Tuskegee – 11
STATISTICAL LEADERS
TOURNAMENT LEADERS
POINTS
REBOUNDS
ASSISTS
STEALS
BLOCKS
THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS
TOURNAMENT HONORS
Three Maroon Tigers earned SIAC All-Tournament Team recognition:
- Josiah Lawson — Tournament MVP | All-Tournament Team
- 52 points (17.3 per game), 15 rebounds (5.0 per game), 3 assists, 2 steals, shot 20-for-37 from the field (.541), shot 3-for-7 from three (.429), shot 9-for-11 from the foul line (.818)
- Sincere Moore — All-Tournament Team
- 35 points (11.7 per game), 7 rebounds (2.3 per game), 2 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, shot 12-for-26 from the field (.462), shot 8-for-14 from three (.571), shot 3-for-5 from the foul line (.600)
- JerMontae Hill — All-Tournament Team
- 29 points (9.7 per game), 23 rebounds (7.7 per game), 3 assists, 4 steals, shot 9-for-21 from the field (.429), shot 3-for-8 from three (.375), shot 8-for-10 from the foul line (.800)
Lawson shot 20-for-37 from the floor and averaged 17.3 points per game over the three tournament contests. Moore shot 8-for-14 from three-point range and finished with 35 points, while Peters matched Moore's 35 points and added a team-best 9 assists. Hill posted a strong all-around line of 29 points, 23 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 made threes.
TEAM STATS — SIAC TOURNAMENT
- Record: 3–0
- Average Score: Morehouse 69.7 | Opponents 58.0
- Average Margin of Victory: +11.7
TEAM TOTALS
- Points: 206
- Field Goals: 71–161 (.441)
- Three-Pointers: 26–68 (.382)
- Free Throws: 41–55 (.745)
- Rebounds: 103 (34.3 per game)
- Assists: 33
- Steals: 20
- Blocks: 7
UP NEXT
Morehouse now awaits its postseason fate as the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Selection Show streams live at 11 p.m. Sunday (March 8) on NCAA.com, where the full 64-team tournament bracket will be revealed.
The 2026 NCAA Division II Tournament begins with the first and second rounds on March 14–15, followed by regional finals on March 17. The Elite Eight will take place March 25–27, with the national championship scheduled for April 5.
For Morehouse, the celebration at Forbes Arena South (Clayton County Convocation Center) marked a defining moment in program history — the first SIAC tournament championship in 23 years, a record-setting first season for head coach
Larry Dixon, and a long-awaited return to the NCAA Tournament for the Maroon Tigers. For up-to-date athletic information on the Maroon Tigers, follow them on social media or online at
www.morehouseathletics.com or Maroon Tiger basketball on Instagram
@morehousebasketball.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.