Claflin knocks off undefeated Morehouse

Orangeburg, S.C. — The Claflin University Panthers put an end to the Morehouse College unbeaten streak, knocking off the Maroon Tigers 85-72 in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) East Division basketball game Wednesday at the Tullis Arena.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak by Claflin as the Panthers improved to 18-5 overall and 11-4 in the division.

Morehouse winning streak ended at 18 games as the Maroon Tigers fall to 18-1 and 14-1 in the division.

Jaleel Charles posted his seventh double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds in leading Claflin offensively. He also recorded four blocked shots and three steals.

Tyler Thompson came off the bench to score 14 points along with four assists for the Panthers, while Benjamin “Tre” Williams added 12 points and six assists.

Timothy Christian scored nine points and Tondric Johnson added eight points for the Panthers.

Morehouse was led by Tyrius Walker with a game-high 27 points.

Leading 46-38 at the intermission, Claflin outscored Morehouse 39-34 in the second half to average an 86-75 road loss earlier this month.

The Panthers built a 66-48 lead with 9:06 left on a basket by Charles and held off a late Morehouse rally.

Claflin held its biggest lead of the game, 21 points, at 77-56 with 5:39 left, but Morehouse kept the contest close in the final minutes. The Maroon Tigers outscored the Panthers 16-8 over that period.

In the first half, the contest was basket-for-basket through the opening 10 minutes. During that span, the lead changed hands eight times with the biggest advantage being five points.

The Panthers held the margin twice. First when Johnson drilled a three-pointer at the 12:25 mark for a 23-18 Claflin lead.

The second came with 10:03 left in the half as Triston Thompson hit one-of-two free throws for a 26-21 Panthers lead.

The next 10 minutes would see Claflin expand its lead to 11-point, 37-26, with 5:20 on the clock. Johnson provided the scored a layup following a pass from “Tre” Williams.

Morehouse was able to cut the Panthers lead to single digit at the half, 46-38, by outscoring Claflin 12-9 in the last five minutes.

The 46 points scored by the Panthers in the first half are the most in the last five games.

Claflin will close out its four-game homestand Monday (Feb. 5), entertaining Clark Atlanta University in another divisional matchup. It will be Greek Night Part 2.

Claflin Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.