Two historic HBCUs battled in men’s basketball on Monday, and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, his alma mater came out on top.
Morehouse jumped out to a 26-11 first-half lead at Howard and upset the defending MEAC champion Bison 79-76 in the MLK Classic. This was Howard’s second straight loss to a Division II program, as Bowie State defeated the Bison 76-73 last Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The Maroon Tigers, now 9-8 on the season, were led by senior Jaden Gray’s 22 points, with sophomore forward Cedric Taylor III and junior guard Sincere Key contributing 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Morehouse beat the Bison (8-11) at their own game, converting 15 of 34 three-point attempts compared to Howard’s 9 for 35 effort from beyond.
DII SCHOOL MOREHOUSE COLLEGE HAS UPSET HOWARD 79-76 ON THE ROAD‼️
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’S SCHOOL WINS ON MLK DAY ‼️
UNREAL pic.twitter.com/8S9re8KzYD
— SSN – College Basketball (@SSN_CBB) January 20, 2025
All five of Key’s field goals were three-pointers, while Gray and Taylor each made four from beyond the arc.
Howard, who remains tied for first place in the MEAC despite the loss, got a game-high 28 points from senior guard Marcus Dockery, leading four Bison players in double figures. Freshmen Cameron Shockley-Okeke and Blake Harper scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, while Jaren Johnson added 10 points.