ATLANTA — Morehouse was close to stealing one Thursday afternoon at Gateway Center Arena, storming back from nine down in the final two minutes to force overtime before Fayetteville State slipped away with a 99-96 win in the Chris Paul HBCU Classic. It was the second game of five straight in the Atlanta area for the Maroon Tigers, part of an eight-week stretch where 14 of 18 will be played around the metro—yet it felt like a full-on March game with how it ended.
FIRST HALF
Morehouse set the early tone with aggression and tempo. Logan McCormick got the Maroon Tigers on the board first with a layup, and the offense had a good rhythm right away—attacking the paint, moving the ball, and making Fayetteville State defend multiple actions instead of just one pass and a shot.
The Broncos kept answering, though, leaning on tough finishes and physical play around the rim. Every time Morehouse grabbed a little momentum, Fayetteville State steadied itself with a paint touch, a free throw, or a hard-earned bucket. The lead changed hands a few times, and late in the half the Broncos edged in front, putting Morehouse in a spot where it would've been easy to let the half slip.
Instead, the Maroon Tigers closed strong. Sincere Key and Sincere Moore steadied things at the line, McCormick finished inside, and JerMontae Hill drilled a huge three that lifted the energy on the Morehouse bench. That closing stretch mattered—Morehouse walked into halftime up 35-32, with the feel that they'd weathered every punch Fayetteville State threw.
SECOND HALF
Fayetteville State came out of the locker room with a clear plan: get downhill, live in the paint, and make the whistle part of the story. The Broncos quickly erased the halftime deficit and stayed in control of the middle portion of the half with a steady diet of interior scoring and timely shots that kept pressure on Morehouse's defense.
Morehouse kept hanging around, and when the Maroon Tigers needed a response, they got it through effort and rim pressure. Robert Brazelton hit a three to keep it tight, and then McCormick brought the building to life with a three-point play and a dunk as Morehouse fought to keep the game from slipping away. When Brandon Peters hit a free throw with 9:12 left to tie it 59-59, it felt like the final ten minutes were going to be a coin flip.
Then Fayetteville State created separation—finishes, free throws, and just enough stops to stretch the lead to 78-69 with 1:36 left. At that point, most teams are thinking "next game." Morehouse had other plans.
THE FINISH IN REGULATION
Down nine, the Maroon Tigers flipped the entire game with a furious 12-0 run in a little over a minute. Peters got to the rim again and again, Jared White buried a massive three, and Morehouse turned every stop into a quick strike. Suddenly, the deficit was gone—and Morehouse was in front 81-78.
The Broncos answered with a layup to make it 81-80, but Peters calmly knocked down two free throws with :15 left to push it back to 83-80. Fayetteville State still had the last word in regulation, tying the game on a Darius Boben three with :06 left. Morehouse had a final chance at the buzzer, but the layup attempt didn't drop, and the game headed to overtime tied 83-83.
OVERTIME
Overtime started the way Morehouse didn't need it to. Fayetteville State jumped out quickly, ripping off a 6-0 burst to go up 89-83—two strong finishes and a jumper that forced Morehouse into chase mode.
The Maroon Tigers didn't fold. White splashed a three, McCormick threw down another dunk, and Morehouse kept getting it to one-possession territory. But the closing seconds turned into a free-throw test, and Fayetteville State did enough at the line to keep distance.
Still, Morehouse made it dramatic all the way to the end: Moore hit a three with :10 left to cut it to 96-93, and White hit another with :03 to make it 98-96. The Broncos' final free throws—capped by one with :02 remaining—finally shut the door.
TEAM COMPARISON
- FG: Morehouse 30-69 (43.5%) | Fayetteville State 33-64 (51.6%)
- 3PT: Morehouse 6-16 (37.5%) | Fayetteville State 4-11 (36.4%)
- FT: Morehouse 30-39 (76.9%) | Fayetteville State 29-37 (78.4%)
- Rebounds: Morehouse 36 | Fayetteville State 37
- Assists: Morehouse 17 | Fayetteville State 23
- Turnovers: Morehouse 15 | Fayetteville State 20
- Points in the paint: Morehouse 42 | Fayetteville State 54
- Points off turnovers: Morehouse 23 | Fayetteville State 14
- Bench points: Morehouse 32 | Fayetteville State 33
MOREHOUSE STATISTICAL LEADERS
NEXT UP
Morehouse wraps up the 2025 calendar year, and their five games in nine days stretch, Friday morning, at the Chris Paul Classic with a "breakfast and ball" matchup against Lincoln (Pa.) at 10:00 a.m. at Gateway Center Arena. 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.