Lawson Leads Morehouse Past Badgers, 82-72, as Maroon Tigers Clinch SIAC East Title and No. 1 Seed

Lawson Leads Morehouse Past Badgers, 82-72, as Maroon Tigers Clinch SIAC East Title and No. 1 Seed

ATLANTA — In a make-up game originally slated for January 24 that was postponed due to weather, Morehouse closed the regular season with an 82-72 win over Spring Hill on Thursday night inside Forbes Arena. The victory not only kept Morehouse rolling, it delivered the Maroon Tigers the outright SIAC East Division regular-season championship and locked up the No. 1 seed out of the East for next week's SIAC Basketball Tournament. Josiah Lawson powered the finish with a game-high 24 points, while Brandon Peters (15), Jared White (14), Sincere Moore (11) and JerMontae Hill (10) helped Morehouse pull away late.

FIRST HALF
Morehouse came out sharp and set the tone early. Hill opened the scoring with a jumper, Peters cleaned up a miss with a tip-in, and Hill followed with a three to spark a quick 7-0 start. Spring Hill answered with pace and perimeter shooting, trimming the margin with a layup and a pair of buckets before both teams traded threes in rapid succession. The Badgers' surge tied the game at 10-10 on a Brian Harris triple, turning the opening minutes into a back-and-forth track meet.

The Maroon Tigers steadied themselves at the stripe and from deep. White knocked down two free throws and Lawson buried a three to push Morehouse back in front, but Spring Hill stayed connected with timely threes and steady production. The Badgers briefly grabbed momentum with a three to give Spring Hill its largest lead of the night at 21-18.

From there, Morehouse flipped the half with its best stretch of the game. White splashed a three to reclaim the lead, Moore finished at the rim, and Lawson added another strong take before Peters drilled back-to-back threes leading to a 13-0 Maroon Tigers run that turned a one-possession game into a 34-23 advantage.

Spring Hill didn't fold. The Badgers answered with a three and attacked downhill for a layup and two free throws and chipped away at the Maroon Tigers lead. Morehouse got a lift from Blake Pollock's three late in the half, but Spring Hill closed the final minutes with a pair of baskets to cut the margin to 40-37 at the break.

SECOND HALF
Morehouse struck first again after halftime when Hill soared for a dunk to make it 42-37, but Spring Hill kept raining threes to stay within striking distance. Two consecutive three gave the Badgers another push, eventually swinging the lead to Spring Hill at 45-44 as the teams continued trading punches.

The Maroon Tigers responded with poise. Moore drilled a three, Peters converted at the line, but Spring Hill surged again with a three to tie it at 49-49 followed by a layup to put the Badgers up 51-49 with just over 14 minutes left.

That's when Morehouse delivered the deciding sequence.

Hill buried a huge three to ignite an 11-0 run, with Peters and Lawson stacking free throws, Moore knocking down a jumper, and Lawson finishing in transition to push the Maroon Tigers in front 60-51. Spring Hill made one more push as they hit another three and added two free throws to pull within 62-59. Moore answered again with a three, restoring breathing room.

Down the stretch, Morehouse's pressure defense and efficient finishing controlled the final eight minutes. Lawson continued to score through contact and at the stripe, Peters knocked down another three to keep the Badgers at bay, and White delivered key late baskets as the Maroon Tigers stretched the margin to a game-high 14 in the final two minutes. Spring Hill scored in the closing seconds, but the outcome was sealed as Morehouse walked off with an 82-72 win.

TEAM COMPARISON

  • Field Goals: Morehouse 27-63 (42.9%) | Spring Hill 24-49 (49.0%)
  • 3-Pointers: Morehouse 12-34 | Spring Hill 12-23
  • Free Throws: Morehouse 16-17 | Spring Hill 12-17
  • Rebounds: Spring Hill 35 | Morehouse 30
  • Assists: Morehouse 16 | Spring Hill 16
  • Turnovers: Spring Hill 19 | Morehouse 7
  • Points off Turnovers: Morehouse 26 | Spring Hill 10
  • Fast Break Points: Morehouse 18 | Spring Hill 8
  • Bench Points: Morehouse 32 | Spring Hill 6
MOREHOUSE LEADERS UP NEXT
With the regular season complete and the SIAC East secured outright, Morehouse now turns its attention to the SIAC Basketball Tournament at the Clayton County Convocation Center. The Maroon Tigers will face the winner of #5 East Edward Waters at #4 West Central State (played 2/28/2026) in the quarterfinal round at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. All tournament action will be streamed on ESPN+.  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.