LAKELAND, FL | The Maroon Tigers snapped their two-game losing streak by soundly defeating the St. Leo Lions, 83-76, in the opening game of the Century Retail Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by Florida Southern.

The Lions took their only lead of the day by scoring the opening basket of the game.  Cedric Taylor, III quickly responded to tie the score at 2-2.  Reigning SIAC Newcomer of the Week, Josiah Lawson followed a missed St. Leo 3-pointer, with a layup to give the Maroon Tigers the lead, 4-2.  Despite the game being tied at 12-12, halfway through the 1st half, Morehouse never lost the lead the lead again.  

JerMontae Hill would start an 11-2 run, at that point, with a mid-range jumper.  After a pair of free throws by Taylor, Damion Mitchell would knock down a jumper, of his own, to extend the lead.  Hill would then hit from behind the arc, and after a Lions bucket, Taylor would lay the ball up, to extend the lead to 23-14.  Morehouse would own a lead as large as 10 points, before closing the half out with a 34-26 advantage.

The Lions would open the 2nd half with a 7-2 run, during the first two minutes, to cut the Morehouse lead to 36-33, forcing Coach Douglas Whittler, to call a timeout.  Whittler's adjustments worked as Taylor knocked down a 3-points, coming out of the timeout.  Josiah Lawson would score, in the post, to lead cap a quick 5-0 run, allowing Morehouse to regain control of the game.  

The Lions would not go away.  A 6-0 run by St. Leo would bring the game within two points.  Mitchell would sink a 3-pointer to begin a 11-2 run, over the next three minutes, to extend the Maroon Tigers lead to 52-41, entering the under-12 media timeout.  After the timeout, Morehouse would out-score the Lions 9-5, over the next four minutes, to extend the lead to 15 points.

St. Leo would cut the lead to single-digits, as close a six points, with under four minutes remaining in the game. Two Hill free throws, followed by a dunk by Mitchell, would spark another Maroon Tiger run.  Taylor would hit a shot from behind the arc and Brandon Peters would knock down a pair of free throws to extend the lead, once again to double-digits.  Matthew Coffey would put exclamation point, on the victory, with a huge dunk, with just over one minute remaining in the game.  The Maroon Tigers would knock down free throws for the remainder of the game, to seal the victory.  

Morehouse would out-shoot St. Leo 49.1% to 41.1%.  The Maroon Tiger defense would hold the Lions to 23.8% shooting from behind the arc.  The Maroon Tiger would knock down 77.8% (21/27) from the charity stripe.

JerMontae Hill would lead the Maroon Tigers with in scoring with 22 points, while adding six rebounds, three steals, and two assists.  Cedric Taylor would follow with 21 points, five rebounds, 2 steals., and a block.  Damion Mitchell would contribute 14 points, three assists, two rebounds, and an assist.  Josiah Lawson chipped in 13 points, three rebounds, and a block.  Matthew Coffey led the Maroon Tigers in rebounds with 10, while scoring seven points.

The Maroon Tigers are back in action tomorrow, to conclude the Century Retail Thanksgiving Classic, as they face the host Florida Southern, at 7PM.  For up-to-date athletic information on the Maroon Tigers, follow them on social media or online at www.morehouseathletics.com.