FAIRFIELD, Ala. — Facing a tough road test against the SIAC West's second-place Miles Golden Bears, the Morehouse Maroon Tigers showed why they sit atop the SIAC East. Morehouse erased a 10-point halftime deficit and outscored Miles 41-27 after the break to claim a 70-66 cross-division win Thursday night at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. Josiah Lawson (18 points), JerMontae Hill (16) and Jared White (15) powered the comeback as the Maroon Tigers extended their calendar-year streak to eight straight wins and improved to 9-1 over their last 10 games.
FIRST HALF
Miles set the tone early, striking first with a three-pointer at 19:21, then following with a jumper to build quick momentum. Morehouse answered with Hill's driving layup to get on the board, but the Golden Bears kept pushing, using another Williams three and trips to the line to stretch the lead to 10-2 in the opening minutes.
Morehouse settled in midway through the half and began to chip away. Richard Lockett snapped a scoring lull with a jumper, and Lawson and Sincere Key followed with strong finishes to spark an extended response. During that stretch, the Maroon Tigers ripped off an 8-0 surge—highlighted by a Lawson bucket and a Key layup—cutting the deficit to 15-11 and forcing Miles to answer.
Miles did, emphatically, ignited by a Golden Bears dunk at 11:57, then added another basket as Miles rebuilt separation through paint touches and second-chance pressure. After Robert Brazelton, returning to action after being out with an injury, scored for Morehouse, the Golden Bears continued to lean on their interior presence and tempo plays to keep the Maroon Tigers at arm's length.
The biggest gap of the half came at the 7:29 mark, when a layup pushed Miles ahead 31-18. Morehouse countered with timely perimeter shots when White buried a three at 6:37 and Key attacked for points inside to keep the deficit manageable. Still, Miles controlled the final stretch of the half, getting late baskets to maintain a double-digit cushion.
Morehouse, however, found a small boost before the horn: Caleb Thompson scored in the paint with 0:47 left, trimming the halftime margin to 39-29 and giving the Maroon Tigers something to build on heading into the locker room.
SECOND HALF
Morehouse came out firing and immediately made it a new game. Hill drilled a three at 19:23 (set up by White), and White followed with another triple at 18:34 (assisted by Ebuka Peter Okechukwu), slicing the deficit down to four possessions in under two minutes.
Miles responded with free throws and a jumper, but Morehouse kept applying pressure. Lawson got to the line and converted, and Hill continued to punish the defense from the perimeter. A pair of Hill threes—one at 14:20 and another at 12:34—steadily tightened the game until the Maroon Tigers finally broke through.
At 11:36, Lawson knocked down a go-ahead jumper to give Morehouse its first lead, 46-45. From there, it turned into a back-and-forth battle: Miles reclaimed the advantage on a Jernigan finish, but Morehouse answered with winning plays on both ends.
A key sequence came around the 10-minute mark. After a Lawson offensive rebound, Brandon Peters hit a three at 10:24 to put Morehouse back in front. Moments later, Morehouse built its largest lead when White buried a fast-break three at 9:12 (assisted by Peters), stretching the margin to 54-49.
Miles wasn't done. The Golden Bears responded with an 11-0 run, fueled by attacking finishes and free throws, capped by a three at 5:50 that swung the score to 60-54 in favor of the home team.
Morehouse answered with poise. Lawson created a second-chance opportunity that led to a Peters layup at 5:27, then Peters picked up a steal and earned a trip to the line. After a Miles dunk, Lawson buried a three at 4:43, and the Maroon Tigers' defense produced another turning point: Lawson jumped a passing lane for a steal at 4:15, and soon after, he buried another three at 3:51 (assisted by Hill) to swing the lead back to Morehouse, 63-62.
The closing minute was clutch. With the game tied late, White knocked down two free throws at 1:05 to give Morehouse a 66-64 edge. Then Hill scored in the paint with 0:25 left to extend the lead to 68-64. Miles got a tip-in after an offensive rebound, but White sealed the win with two free throws at 0:16. On the final possession, Miles missed a potential three, and Hill secured the rebound to close out the comeback.
TEAM COMPARISON
- Field Goals: Morehouse 24-55 (43.6%) | Miles 26-59 (44.1%)
- 3-Pointers: Morehouse 10-24 (41.7%) | Miles 4-13 (30.8%)
- Free Throws: Morehouse 12-21 (57.1%) | Miles 10-10 (100%)
- Rebounds: Miles 37 | Morehouse 31
- Turnovers: Miles 12 | Morehouse 9
- Assists: Miles 15 | Morehouse 12
- Steals: Morehouse 6 | Miles 4
STATISTICAL LEADERS
UP NEXT
Morehouse remains 8-0 in the SIAC East Division and in first place in the SIAC East, extending its eight-game win streak (all in the 2026 calendar year). The Maroon Tigers return to Forbes Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m. to face Tuskegee, the top team in the SIAC West, in a marquee matchup that will also feature the 2026 Basketball Den of Honor induction ceremony at halftime. The game will be streamed on the SIAC Network. 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.