January 31, 2013 – FORT VALLEY, GA – This may sound repetitive, but Morehouse wins again. This time, it was a 66-62 victory over the Fort Valley State Wildcats.
Morehouse moves to 12-5 (10-0 SIAC) and remains atop the SIAC, as the only unbeaten team in conference play.
And, as in several recent games, Darrius Williams carried the load for the Maroon Tigers.
The All-SIAC football player-turned basketball star put up another double-double, to lead Morehouse to its eleventh consecutive win, and is the SIAC's leading scorer, at 17.8 points per game.
Williams hit 8 of 16 shots, for 21 points, to go with 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He scored 14 points in the second half, when the Maroon Tigers clawed back from a seven-point deficit, midway through the period.
Morehouse led 36-30, at the break, but fell behind early in the second half. The Maroon Tigers didn't regain the lead until a rebound and put back by Andrae Nelson made the score 63-62.
Nelson and Shawn Allen, who were named to the Preseason All-SIAC Team, also got in on the double-digit scoring action.
Nelson hit 5 of 9 shots from the field and 4 of 6 from the line, to finish with 14 points. His 14 rebounds were a team high and marked the sixth time this season he has led the team in rebounding.
Allen scored 12 points, pulled down three rebounds and tied for game-high honors with three steals, before fouling out with two minutes remaining.
The Wildcats out-rebounded the Tigers (46-37), but Morehouse forced 17 turnovers and converted those into a 16-8 points-off-turnovers advantage.
Austin Anderson scored eight points and Raphael Walker, starting in place of Jonathan Tassin, scored seven points. Each had two rebounds.
Brandon Davey (16 pts., 17 rebs.) and Jeremy Sledge (15 pts.) led the Wildcats, who fell to 6-12 (4-7 SIAC).
Morehouse takes on the Clark Atlanta Panthers, Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will be played at Forbes Arena, but will be a home game for the Panthers.
General admission is $15, Morehouse and Spelman faculty, staff and students $10 with ID.
In other basketball news: The Morehouse-Tuskegee game scheduled for February 7, in Tuskegee, AL, has been cancelled, because of a Tuskegee scheduling error.
