Jacksonville, FL., -- The Edward Waters men's basketball team collected a crucial Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) East Division victory Saturday evening with a 70-66 win over Morehouse inside the Adams-Jenkins Complex.
The victory propelled Edward Waters atop the East Division Standings who now sit 8-2 in SIAC play and 12-5 overall. The Tigers 12 wins so far this season ties their win total from the 2023-2024 season.
The action between the Tigers and the visiting Maroon Tigers was back and forth in the beginning of the opening half. But the EWU defensive pressure forced Morehouse into 11 first half turnovers as the home team Tigers held the visiting Maroon Tigers to just 32.4% shooting in the first half. An 11-0 late opening half run helped lift EWU into a 39-30 halftime lead.
Morehouse would do a great job of chipping away at the Edward Waters lead throughout the second half but the Tigers held firm down the stretch to come away with the victory.
There was a split in the battle of the painted area as Edward Waters outscored Morehouse, 30-22 in points and Morehouse out rebounded Edward Waters 46-38. But it was the Tigers defense and timely shot making that proved to be the difference in the ball game. For the game, EWU held Morehouse to just 31.4 (22-for-70) shooting from the floor.
Edward Waters also dominated in bench scoring as four players scored at least nine points in reserve action. Kristian Ford notched 11 points and three rebounds to lead all Tigers bench players. Jeremiah Kwarteng and Trevino Glover both chipped in 10 points each. Kwarteng shot 4-of-7 from the field and also threw down and emphatic and-1 slam. Glover went 2-of-4 from three point range and knocked down both of his foul shots. Forward Cyrus Huggard-Noel played one of his best games of the season with his family in the stands. Huggard-Noel finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. He also has a handful of terrific finishes around the rim.
Senior guard Ja'Kobe Williams led all scorers with 17 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists. Williams shot 7-for-13 from the field as he connected on his lone three pointer and made both of his free throws. The Jacksonville native made clutch baskets down the stretch to hold off the Morehouse late second half surge.
Edward Waters Head Coach Cabral Huff, a graduate of Morehouse College, was pleased with his team's defense and their ability to pull out another close win at home. "Although we didn't close the game out as we may have liked from the FT line, this group found a way once again to get it done," remarked Huff. "We have matched our win total from last season as we've had guys step and make plays like Jeremiah Kwarteng and Cyrus Huggard-Noel. Myles Hosten was a block machine at the rim as well."
Freshman forward Myles Hosten finished the game with four points, seven rebounds and a career best four blocks.
The Tigers will return to action with another big time SIAC East Division match up as they welcome in Clark Atlanta for a Monday afternoon, MLK Day showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the Adams-Jenkins Complex.
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