ATLANTA– On a day where Morehouse College recognized Maroon Tiger great, Harold Ellis, the basketball team beat Clark Atlanta University 67-62 in the Battle of the AUC on Saturday afternoon in Forbes Arena – McAfee Court.
MHC improves to 9-9 overall and 6-5 in the SIAC, while CAU falls to 7-11 and 7-3 in conference play.
In the first half, Morehouse senior guard Robert Andrews led the assault against Clark Atlanta as he was able to collect 10 points and six boards during the first 20 minutes. Panther forward Romaine Thomas led CAU with 15 points.
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MHC ended the first half tied with CAU, 31-31, a real tug-o-war match resulting in neither team being able to pull away. The Maroon and White dominated the glass, but also had eight turnovers, which kept Clark Atlanta in the game.
The second stanza was a half of runs and both teams mounted leads only to see them dwindle. Clark Atlanta built their largest lead of the game, 47-38, with 12:49 remaining before the Maroon Tigers walked the Panthers down and tied the game at 56-56 with 6:01 left in the game. Morehouse would outscore CAU 11-6 the rest of the way for the 67-62 victory.
Turning Point
At 9:56 in the second half, Andrews finished a fast-break transition with a thunderous dunk that shifted the energy throughout the arena. After this bucket, Morehouse went 9 of 16 from the field for the remainder of the game. The Maroon tigers’ ball movement was key, dishing out 13 assists for the half and 20 for the game.
Individual Leaders
Morehouse guard Robert Andrews (Detroit, MI) had the hot hand and ended with a near double-double earning 16 points and eight rebounds. Guard Michael Olmert (Atlanta, GA) put up 11 points and 6 dimes while guard Tremell Gooden (Atlanta, GA) was able to tally up 12 points and six boards.
Clark Atlanta guards Tyler Singleton and Justin Longstreet combined for 22 points, scoring 11 each while forward Romaine Thomas led the Panthers with 17 points.
Inside the Box Score
> Morehouse shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field and 36 percent (9-of-25) from behind the arc
> Clark Atlanta was 20-of-58 (34.5 percent) from the floor and 10-of-29 (34.5 percent) from three-point range
> The Maroon Tigers snatched 47 rebounds, with 18 coming on the offensive end
> The Panthers pulled down 30 boards, 10 of them being offensive
> Morehouse won the second-chance points battle 20-8
> CAU forced 20 turnovers while MHC forced only seven