As the final whistle blew, Coach Douglas Whittler of Morehouse College couldn't contain his excitement. “The good lord was with us tonight”

Morehouse College celebrated a hard-fought triumph against the formidable Savannah State University Tigers, who boasted an impressive 7-7 record. This victory held a special significance as it brought an end to Savannah State's undefeated home streak for the season.

Led by Cedric Taylor III with 12 points and supported by Amahn Decker, Morehouse secured a thrilling 68-66 win at Tiger Arena, extending their remarkable season.

In an intense battle between the two Tigers, the first half unfolded with Savannah taking a 6-12 lead in the opening moments. Their dominance continued as SSU extended their advantage to 13-22 with 9:26 remaining, courtesy of a jumpshot by junior guard Ajay Plain.

However, the Maroon Tigers regrouped and made a comeback. Junior guard Demetrius Calip II, coming off the bench, became the driving force, sinking a series of jumpers to bring Morehouse back within one point. Calip's confidence was palpable as he repeatedly declared, “I'm not going to miss.” With Calip's stellar performance, the Maroon Tigers seized their first lead of the game with just 1:09 left, taking the score to 35-34, and held on to it until halftime, surprisingly leading 38-36.

Whittler spoke with ClutchPoints on the importance of going into halftime leading and the resilience of his team.

“The guys are very resilient, we do situations in practice where were down a lot and we run a lot to so were down and were tired. I knew that we could come back and get back into the game and we did. But that was big-time momentum, I just told them, ‘Hey listen [I'm] just glad we didn't get down 10, 12, 14. We were down only 6 or 8 and [were] able to cut it down and I think we had the lead at half very slim but I’m proud of my guys they come and they play hard they work hard in practice for us.”

The second half unfolded as a thrilling heavyweight showdown, with both teams going basket for basket. A total of 10 lead changes kept the excitement high throughout. Morehouse initially took the lead in the second half, but Savannah State remained hot on their heels. Interestingly, Morehouse's largest lead was only 2 points, as Savannah State swiftly regained control with 17:09 left on the clock. A triple from sophomore guard Zion Davis put Savannah State ahead at 45-44.

The lead continued to exchange hands, with neither team willing to accept defeat. As the game approached its final moments, Savannah State's Chancellor Wilson stepped up and scored an impressive 6 points in just 2 minutes, giving both teams their largest lead of the half at 62-58 with 5:51 remaining. However, Morehouse quickly responded with a strong run of their own, holding Savannah State scoreless for over 2 minutes and retaking the lead at 62-60 after a basket from Amahn Decker at the 4:11 mark. It was then Junior forward Qua King and Junior guard Ajay Plain's turn to shine, as they helped SSU recover the lead. King connected on a jump shot and two free throws, bringing the score to 66-63 with 2:40 left on the clock.

At this critical moment, Cedric Taylor III stepped up his game, scoring 6 crucial points and regaining the lead for Morehouse at 68-66 with only 10.0 seconds remaining. In a last-ditch effort, SSU's guard Ajay Plain attempted a game-winning shot, only to be rejected by Cedric Taylor III. Sophomore guard Javonte Landy grabbed the rebound and took an off-balanced three-point attempt that unfortunately fell short.

Plain and Landy talked about the last remaining seconds and the final shot postgame.

“Coach said get the ball and just push. I tried to make a play so I came down. [Qua King] was coming with a follow-up screen. [I] came around tried to hesitate I [saw a defender]. [H]e fell back, I took the shot he tipped the ball.” Plain said.

“[The] shot clock was winding down they had already tipped the ball. I just tried to heave something up it was something quick.” Landy stated.

Coach Whittler was impressed with the challenge Savannah State offered and spoke on what it took to overtake SSU.

“Savannah State, they are very well-coached that’s a very disciplined team over there. Coach Broadnex has a great group of guys. You know and we told our guys that we knew they [were going to] come at us. They executed really well. We got defensive stops and rebounds when needed. We [were] able to get to the line in the 2nd half and make a lot of free throws that just kind of helped us out. When we needed to get stops we got 'em we got some big-time put-backs in key situations.”

After securing this victory, Morehouse has extended their win streak to 2 games. The locker room was brimming with exhilaration as the Tigers' energy permeated the air. Coach Whittler, in particular, exuded sheer happiness. It's hard to believe that just a year ago, Coach Whittler was absent from the team, recovering from a heart attack.

“It feels very well, ” Whittler said. “Last year around this time I had a heart attack and I was out. You know for me being back to my element is very exciting for me. I’m grateful I’m thankful and it feels good to be on the upside of the scoring board. Again I’m proud of my guys and just hope we can continue the run that we are on.”

The loss was gut-wrenching for Savannah State. Morehouse defeated SSU on their home floor for the second time in 2 years, handing them their first back-to-back home loss. Ajay Plain led the Savannah State Tigers with a season-high 15 points, while Qua King contributed 14 points and Zion Davis ended the night with 12 points, shooting a perfect field goal percentage.

After experiencing two consecutive losses, the players of Savannah State expressed their determination to rebound and emphasized the importance of maintaining focus in order to return to the winning path.

“Just be mentally focused and just finish the game really. Both games we had it in our hand just didn’t finish it, stop turnovers, and grab offensive rebounds we need to box out and were gonna get it,” Ajay Plain said.

“We just gotta execute down the stretch it’s coming down to close games,” Sophomore guard Javonte Landy declared. “We have close games every time so it’s like we not losing significantly bad but it’s like the small things we can do better in.”

Junior forward Qua King believes the unit needs to be more focused in practice and learn how to finish out games

“Just come into practice, shootaround locked in and just value the basketball…really that’s all it is. Just finish out the game.”

(11-5) Morehouse College will take their winning streak on the road when they face the (7-8) Edward Waters University Tigers on January 22 at 7:30 PM in Jacksonville, FL at Adams-Jenkins Community Sports & Music Complex.

Savannah State University (7-7) aims to bounce back as they face off against the Clark Atlanta Panthers (12-3) on Monday at 7:30 PM. The game will take place at Tiger Arena in Savannah, GA.