February 9, 2012 -- ATLANTA -- In a back-and-forth game that went down to the wire, a last-second jumper by Daniyal Faquir careened off the rim and the Albany State Golden Rams outlasted Morehouse, 65-64.
In the first half, the Maroon Tigers trailed by as many as 10 points, but never lost their composure and closed the gap to 40-35 at halftime.
The Rams stretched the lead to eight points, early in the second half, but the Maroon Tigers hung around, chipping away at the margin. A jumper by Andrae Nelson gave Morehouse its first lead, at 48-47, with nine minutes remaining.
The Maroon and White were unable to extend the advantage by more than three points and the teams traded baskets, until the final 23 seconds.
Down 63-62, Albany's leading scorer, Demarcus Blunt, drove to the basket for an almost certain score. Switching off his man, to help, Nelson fully stretched his 6'-6" frame, for an acrobatic block into the hands of teammate Gerald Dunn, who was almost beaten on the play.
Fouled immediately, Dunn hit the first of two free throws, to make the score 64-62. But the sophomore, playing in only his seventh game this season, missed the second free throw, opening the door for the Golden Rams. On the ensuing possession, Justin Wilcox hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left.
A timeout by coach Grady Brewer set up the final shot, which clanked off the rim. The loss snapped a two-game win streak and dropped the Maroon Tigers to 5-15 (5-13 SIAC).
Shawn Allen, the SIAC's third-leading scorer, led all players, with 21 points, to go with 10 rebounds and two assists.
Nelson led all rebounders, with 13 boards, and added 13 points and four blocks.
Faquir helped fuel the second-half rally, scoring 11 of his 13 points. After going 0-of-4 from beyond the arc, Faquir found the range after the break, hitting 3-of-5.
Michael Zeigler lifted the Tigers, in the first half, scoring all of his seven points and grabbing one of his two rebounds. Most of his contribution came in the form of hustle and energy on both ends of the court.
Four Rams scored in double figures, led by Blunt's 19 points. Albany State improved to 10-11 (9-10 SIAC).
Morehouse returns to the hardwood, Saturday, at 3:30 p.m., in a rematch with Clark Atlanta. On January 26, the Panthers won round one, of this cross-campus rivalry, 77-64. Played in Forbes Arena, the Panthers will be the home team.
