Royals Take Down the Eagles in the Final Minutes of the AAC Matchup

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Men's Basketball received another tough loss to the hands of the Royals from Johnson University, 94-80. The Eagles trailed 40-32 at halftime and pulled within two early in the second half, but Johnson answered each push and closed it out behind efficient perimeter shooting and late free throws. The Royals pulled away in the final two minutes of the game, stretching a small lead into the fourteen-point AAC win.

After an 8-8 start in the first quarter, Johnson created the separation that would define the game with a 29-13 run, building a 37-21 lead before Reinhardt could slow the momentum. The Eagles trimmed the deficit to single digits before the break, but a 3-pointer from Dallas Carbaugh in the closing seconds sent Johnson into halftime up 40-32. Reinhardt had one of their better shooting games of the season, shooting 47.3 percent from the field, but Johnson's 58.6-percent performance and 9 made 3-pointers proved difficult to overcome. The three-point line seemed to be the difference in this game, with the Eagles hovering around 33%.

Reinhardt came out of the locker room with energy, quickly attacking the paint to cut into the margin. A layup from Nekhi Fisher early in the second half tightened the score to 40-36, giving the Eagles a brief wave of momentum and bringing the crowd into the game. Each time Reinhardt threatened, however, Johnson answered, most often through guard Davon Cottle, who repeatedly halted Eagles runs with timely shot-making.

Cottle capped off one of the game's decisive stretches midway through the second half, hitting a 3-pointer with 16:47 left to push the Johnson lead back to seven at 48-41. Late in the game, with Reinhardt still within striking distance at 81-74, he knocked down another 3-pointer at the 3:43 mark that stretched the margin and effectively closed the door on an Eagles comeback. Cottle finished with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, and added four assists.

Despite the loss, Reinhardt received strong individual efforts. Tee Williams led the Eagles with 20 points, adding four rebounds and a game-high three blocks while going 7-of-16 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the free-throw line. Derrick Brown provided additional balance inside, contributing 17 points and nine rebounds as Reinhardt battled to a 32-36 deficit on the glass and actually held an edge in offensive rebounds, 11-10, to generate second-chance opportunities. Fisher ended the game with 17 points as well, putting the Eagles with three players who had double-figure scoring.

The Eagles also made the most of their trips to the foul line, finishing 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) at the stripe to stay within reach as Johnson continued to connect from the field. The Eagles have put together a string of games with great free-throw percentages, which shows their ability to drive to the basket and draw fouls.  This also makes up for the three-point percentage, which has been somewhat down this season.

Reinhardt's defense forced 10 turnovers and picked up five steals, but Johnson's ball movement produced 18 assists to just eight turnovers and consistently created open looks. The Eagles had three Royals in foul trouble with four fouls each in the second half, but each was able to manage their way to stay in the game in the final ten minutes when the game was within striking distance.

The loss puts the Eagles at 6-14 overall and 5-8 in conference play, which has them in the tenth position in the AAC.  However, they are still within striking distance of all the teams ahead of them, except the frontrunner, Pikeville. They have seven games remaining, with six of those being conference opponents.  The next three games are very important for Reinhardt because the teams are in front of them in the standings.  The team is scheduled to play in Columbia, South Carolina, this Saturday at CIU.  The tip is scheduled for 4 pm.  Stay tuned to www.reinhardtEagles.com for any schedule updates for possible bad weather in the area this weekend.