Morehouse Defeats Fort Valley As They Prepare For Round Two With Clark Atlanta

The Maroon Tigers pulled out a tight victory over the Fort Valley State Wildcats Monday night and look forward to another victory against Clark Atlanta University.

The Maroon Tigers got off to a slow start while the Fort Valley Wildcats had a strong lead during the first half of Monday’s game. Morehouse picked up the slack in the first half by locking down their defense, holding the Wildcats at the 25-point mark for the remainder of the half. Morehouse’s offense worked just as hard as their defense closing out the first half with a two-point lead. In the second half, the Maroon Tigers had a double-digit lead despite the Wildcats trying to close the double-digit deficit. At the end of the second half, the Maroon Tigers finished with a four-point game wining victory.

After the close win against the Wildcats, the Maroon Tigers turned their attention to a second encounter with their cross-campus rivals the Clark Atlanta Panthers. This game is set to be one of the most anticipated Morehouse versus Clark matchups ever. Both teams hold spots in the NABC coaches poll placing Morehouse at #9 and Clark at #20 nationally. The Maroon Tigers had the upper hand over the Panthers two weeks ago as they defeated CAU in triple overtime at Epps Gymnasium.

The cross-campus showdown is known to draw fans from all over the city of Atlanta who pack into Forbes arena to see these two historical institutions battle on the court. This year’s matchup has the potential to sell out the historic Forbes arena which holds a capacity of 6,000 people. Since 2003, Morehouse has seen anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 people in attendance to watch this HBCU rivalry. The highest attendance reached at a game since 2003 was the 2005–2006 season with an attendance of 5,845 people.

The rivalry between Morehouse college and Clark Atlanta goes as far back to when Clark Atlanta University was originally named Clark College. From 1988–2005 Morehouse had the better hand winning 19 games while Clark won 10. This still holds some truth as from the years of 2003-2016 Clark won 12 games and Morehouse won 17.

Compared to the other opponents the Maroon Tigers have faced this season, Clark Atlanta managed to hold their own in the first rival matchup of this season. Normally Morehouse holds opponents to 73 points a game, however Clark has been holding opponents to 96 points a game. The Panthers forced the Maroon Tigers to shoot under 30% in the second half in the FG and 3-point FG columns, which is usually when the Maroon Tigers catch fire and pull away from teams. One key thing for Morehouse will be utilizing all players from the bench to have as good of a night when they outscored Clark 47–23 in the previous rival matchup.

Not only will the Maroon Tigers bench have to step it up, but star point guard and senior captain Tyrius Walker will have to as well. Tonight’s game will be Walker’s final home game at Forbes Arena, where he’ll have the opportunity to add to his college basketball legacy. Despite the many struggles Walker went through during his time at Morehouse, he has worked hard since making his first appearance in the SIAC his freshman year.

This year Walker had the best season of his entire basketball career, currently averaging 23.5 points per game making him a key player for the team’s success. He’s also tallied a 47 point outing, on top of three 30+ point finishes. With Walker’s experience and leadership, his plan will be to try and corral his teammates to pull out another with over the Panthers.

As these two historic institutions are to face off tonight, both are hungry for NCAA tournament bids. History will be made tonight’s game as a full house is to be expected in Frank L. Forbes arena. Who knows, the game may even go into a few overtimes like a few of the past matchups have. Tonight’s game will be one you don’t want to miss!

Tucker Toole is a sophomore at Morehouse College and writes for the Maroon Tiger newspaper.

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