Brown and Williams Combined for Fifty in AAC Win over CIU

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Men's Basketball got back on the winning track with a solid victory over the CIU Rams with a final score of 95-80 on Saturday afternoon! The Eagles demonstrated a strong performance, turning around an early deficit and several comeback attempts by the Rams.

The first half saw CIU drawing first blood with an early layup by Connor Higgins, but Reinhardt quickly countered. CIU led briefly with James Davis adding a three-pointer, enlarging their lead to five points. However, the Eagles' Tee Williams responded with pivotal layups, and Derrick Brown's timely dunk equalized the score, encapsulating the shift in momentum towards the home side. The Eagles took the early lead back after two minutes into the game and never relinquished the lead after. By the end of the first period, the Eagles led 49-41.

In the second half, the Eagles maintained their dominance with robust defense, causing multiple CIU turnovers. Strong defense by AJ Shaw, Arael Jones, and Jackson Sousa created havoc for the Rams' guards. Both Tee Williams and Derrick Brown continued to score, increasing their lead significantly. AJ Shaw's crucial free throws cemented their advantage, extending their lead by as much as 16 points. CIU could not get the score closer than eight points in the second half after several attempts to cut into Reinhardt's lead. The final score showed a decisive win for the Eagles, 95-80.

Reinhardt's two forwards dominated the game from start to finish.  Tee Williams and Derrick Brown took advantage of the Rams' front-court players, scoring 25 points each.  They were accompanied by 14 from point guards AJ Shaw and Arael Jones, who both hit double-figure scoring as well.  Shaw had 14 points as the starting point guard for the Eagles, and Jones had a solid 16 points coming off the bench. The two guards were responsible for always finding a basket when CIU would cut the Eagles' lead to single digits. Brown and Williams also led the team in rebounds with 8 and 7 rebounds, respectively.

The win was another important AAC win for the Eagles as they look to stay in postseason contention.  With the efforts that Williams and Brown displayed in this game, the future games look very bright as the tough AAC schedule continues.  Looking ahead, Reinhardt is set to face Augusta in an away game next Thursday evening and then they will travel to Alabama to face Samford University on Friday.  Both games are considered exhibition games as they are NCAA DII opponents.  The team will have a break over the Christmas and New Year's holidays and will return to face Tennessee Wesleyan on January 7th to start the 2026 calendar.