ATLANTA, GA | A furious late push by LeMoyne-Owen erased a 16-point second-half deficit and sent Morehouse to its first loss of the calendar year, as the Magicians stunned the Maroon Tigers, 73-72, Thursday night in an SIAC cross-division matchup at Forbes Arena. Morehouse, which entered the night in first place in the SIAC East, saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end but remains 8-0 in the SIAC East and sits atop the division.
First Half
LeMoyne-Owen came out firing from deep, with LaDricus Pittman drilling early triples to jump-start the Magicians' offense. After Pittman knocked down a pair of threes in the opening two minutes, he later buried a third to make it 9-2 and force Morehouse to chase from behind.
The Maroon Tigers settled in behind physical defense and steady shot-making in the lane. JerMontae Hill attacked the rim to put Morehouse on the board, while Sincere Key splashed a three to keep pace as the Magicians continued to lean on perimeter scoring. LeMoyne-Owen stretched the margin with another three and a mid-range finish, building a double-digit advantage.
At the 8:44 mark, the Magicians pushed the lead to 23-11, their largest edge of the half, before Morehouse flipped the game at the free-throw line and on the glass. Josiah Lawson sparked a response with a series of trips to the stripe, and Jared White added points at the line as the Maroon Tigers began stacking stops.
Brandon Peters then took over the momentum swing with an emphatic sequence with a personal 7-0 run: a strong drive to the basket, an and-one at the line, and then a tip-in finish that pulled Morehouse all the way even. Peters' layup with 5:26 remaining capped a 14-0 run that pushed the Maroon Tigers in front 25-23.
LeMoyne-Owen briefly steadied itself, but Morehouse closed the half with poise. White knocked down a three in the final minute, and Sincere Moore finished a last-second layup to send Morehouse into the break up 31-27.
Second Half
The Magicians opened the half with an inside finish to trim the margin, but Morehouse responded with a balanced stretch when Moore hit a jumper, and the Maroon Tigers added points at the line to keep control.
LeMoyne-Owen surged back to even the game at 36-36 (16:17), using interior pressure and second-chance opportunities to match Morehouse possession-for-possession. That tie, however, set the stage for Morehouse's best stretch of the night.
Over the next several minutes, the Maroon Tigers erupted with a decisive burst. Hill punctuated the run with a dunk, Key knocked down multiple threes, Peters and Moore finished strong possessions, and another Key triple pushed the lead to 52-36 with 11:13 remaining—a 16-0 Morehouse run that had Forbes Arena rocking.
But the Magicians didn't go away. LeMoyne-Owen chipped into the lead with timely baskets and continued rebounding pressure, gradually shrinking the margin. Morehouse still held an 11-point cushion late (66-55 with 2:59 left), but the closing minutes turned frantic. Lawson fouled out with 2:39 remaining, and the Magicians capitalized with steady scoring to tighten the game to one possession.
In the final minute, Andre Walker II buried a three to make it 68-66, and after a tense sequence that included offsetting technical fouls, White calmly converted at the line to push Morehouse back to 70-66. Walker answered again with another clutch three (0:35), and Moore's free throws gave the Maroon Tigers a 72-69 edge with 19 seconds left.
LeMoyne-Owen kept attacking. Walker hit two free throws to cut it to 72-71, and then, with under 10 seconds remaining, the Magicians forced a turnover, came away with a steal, and drew a foul, sending LaCurtis Dunn Jr. to the line with 4.1 remaining. Dunn sank both free throws to put LeMoyne-Owen ahead 73-72. Morehouse used a timeout to set up the final look, but Moore's buzzer-beating three rimmed out.
Team Comparison
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Field Goals: Morehouse 23-54 (42.6%) | LeMoyne-Owen 25-58 (43.1%)
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3-Pointers: Morehouse 8-24 (33.3%) | LeMoyne-Owen 8-27 (29.6%)
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Free Throws: Morehouse 18-22 (81.8%) | LeMoyne-Owen 15-19 (78.9%)
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Rebounds: LeMoyne-Owen 38 | Morehouse 29
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Offensive Rebounds: LeMoyne-Owen 12 | Morehouse 6
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Assists: LeMoyne-Owen 14 | Morehouse 12
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Turnovers: Morehouse 16 | LeMoyne-Owen 15
Statistical Leaders
Up Next
The Maroon Tigers' first loss of 2026 ends a 10-game surge, but Morehouse remains perfect in the SIAC East (8-0) and continues to hold first place in the division. Morehouse returns to Forbes Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. to host the Lane Dragons (SIAC West). 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.
