Men's Basketball Honors Seniors at UPike Home Finale

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Men's Basketball welcomed the Bears of the University of Pikeville (UPike) for the final home game of the 2025-26 season.  The Bears used a second-half surge to outlast the feisty Eagles, who were nipping at the heels of the Bears all the way through.

UPike held on to get the road win over Reinhardt, 72-61, despite the Eagles cutting the lead to just five points twice in the second half. The perimeter shooting by the Bears ended up being the deciding factor in this contest.

Reinhardt stayed within striking distance through a competitive first half, answering several early Pikeville 3-pointers to keep the margin manageable. The Eagles were down 32-24 late in the half before a brief push cut into the deficit. However, a 3-pointer by Rylee Samons with 42 seconds left sent UPike into the locker room up 35-29 and provided momentum the visitors carried into the final 20 minutes.

That momentum turned into separation almost immediately after the break. Bradley Bunch opened the second half with a 3-pointer to make it 38-29, and Keynan Cutlip followed with another from beyond the arc to stretch the margin to 43-29. Moments later, Bunch finished a layup off a feed from Keian Worrix for a 45-29 advantage, capping a 10-0 run that put the Eagles in a deep hole. Reinhardt continued to battle, but UPike's efficiency on offense kept the Eagles at arm's length.

The Eagles made multiple pushes in the second half, trimming the deficit to single digits and forcing UPike to execute late. A 3-pointer by Jaylan Rigdon extended UPike's lead to 55-40 with just over 10 minutes remaining, but Reinhardt answered with scoring inside and timely stops to pull within 10 in the closing minutes. After the Eagles cut it to 66-56, Bunch responded once more with a 3-pointer that pushed the margin back to 10 with 2:30 to play, and UPike managed the clock from there.

Reinhardt finished the day 26-for-62 from the field (41.9 percent) and 5-for-12 from 3-point range, converting all four of its free throw attempts. Pikeville's shooting proved to be the difference, as the visitors went 28-for-51 (54.9 percent) overall and 10-for-21 from beyond the arc while assisting on 17 made baskets. The teams were nearly even on the glass, with Pikeville holding a slight 32-31 edge in total rebounds, and both sides committed nine turnovers.

Tee Williams led the Eagles with 16 points and nine rebounds, adding two assists while logging 34 minutes. Reinhardt also generated second-chance opportunities with 12 offensive rebounds and recorded more steals than Pikeville, 5-4, but could not fully offset the visitors' outside shooting and overall efficiency. Pikeville was paced by Bunch's 21 points, five rebounds and three assists, along with 18 points and 11 rebounds from LA Walker and 12 points on four 3-pointers by Samons.

Williams was the only Eagle in double-figure scoring, but shooting guard Jackson Sousa came off the bench to put in 9 points, and NeKhi Fisher added 8 for the Eagles.

The team honored Tee Williams, Derrick Brown, Tucker Lowe, and Assistant Coach Derion Richardson for senior day and their dedication to the Reinhardt University Men's Basketball program.

Reinhardt is down to just three games left in the regular season, but they still have much to play for.  On Monday, the Eagles will have their most important game of the season as it puts the currently faces the 10th and 11th teams in the standings against each other.  Reinhardt will travel to Milligan on Monday with a matchup that could decide the tenth and final AAC Tournament playoff spot.  A win would almost asure the Eagles would make the tournament and could have a chance to move into the ninth position over Bryan, who currently sits one game in front of the Eagles.

The game can be seen on the Milligan Buffs Sports Network: Milligan_Sports_Live