BOXSCORE
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – No. 2 Morehouse trailed by 11 points with less than three minutes in the game but used a 14-0 run to sneak by No. 7 Central State, 52-49 late Tuesday evening in an opening round game of the 2016 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bill Harris Arena.
The Marauders’ defense went cold for the final minutes which allowed Morehouse to make its way back in the game. With 51 seconds left, Ayinde Russell took advantage of a pair of free throws to slice CSU’s edge to 49-47. Morehouse used the charity stripe again in its favor after Michael Scott was fouled while attempting to shoot a 3-pointer. Scott connected on all three which gave Morehouse a 50-49 lead with nine seconds in the game. CSU’s Tom Johnson was called for an offensive foul with one second to play sending Morehouse back to the free throw line where they hit both shots.
Russell led all scorers with 19 points. Scott finished with 12 points and Michael Hall grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Jeremy Brown finished with 12 points for the Marauders ahead of Tre Edwards and Sterling Gilmore who added 10 points each. CSU finished the 2015-16 season with an 11-15 record.
Morehouse will face No. 3 Lane on Thursday, March 3 at 7:45 p.m. in a quarterfinal game.
For more information about the 2016 SIAC Basketball Tournament,
CLICK HERE.