Sousa's 23 Not Enough in AAC Tournament Heartbreaker

Kingsport, Tenn. — Reinhardt University let a double-digit second-half lead slip away and fell in the final second, 81-80, to Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon at the MeadowView Marriott.

In a frantic closing sequence, Tennessee Wesleyan's Reshaun Hampton buried a jumper to put the Bulldogs ahead 79-78 with ten seconds remaining. Reinhardt's Jackson Sousa answered immediately after being fouled, calmly sinking two free throws with eight seconds left to restore an 80-79 Eagles lead. Tennessee Wesleyan had one last answer, as Cory Marshall drove for a layup with one second on the clock to provide the decisive points in an 81-80 finish.

The Eagles controlled long stretches of the second half and appeared to be in command when Derrick Brown knocked down two free throws to cap a surge that pushed Reinhardt in front 68-56 with 6:56 to play. Tennessee Wesleyan chipped away from there, eventually using a 3-pointer from Charles Neverdon with 1:10 remaining to pull within 78-77 and set up the back-and-forth final minute.

Sousa led all scorers with 23 points to go with five rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes, going 6 of 7 at the line and hitting one 3-pointer. Brown added 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks while finishing a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe. Tee Williams gave Reinhardt an all-around presence with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 23 minutes, helping the Eagles build their second-half cushion.

As a team, Reinhardt shot an efficient 50.0% from the field and 41.7% from 3-point range, converting 79.3% of its free throws. The Eagles assisted on 15 made baskets and committed just 10 turnovers, using active hands defensively to collect eight steals and three blocks. Tennessee Wesleyan held a narrow 32-29 edge on the glass, including 10 offensive rebounds that extended key possessions late. 

Nekhi Fisher was solid coming off the bench for the Eagles, dropping in 14 points, highlighted by 2 for 3 behind the three-point arc. Forward Blake Seitz had another solid game, finishing with 9 points and pulling down 6 rebounds.

Hampton paced Tennessee Wesleyan with 20 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two blocks in 39 minutes, while Neverdon scored 19 points and hit five 3-pointers, including the late triple that drew the Bulldogs within one in the final 90 seconds. Tennessee Wesleyan finished at 49.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc, while knocking down 75.0% of its attempts at the foul line.

Reinhardt trailed 38-37 at halftime after a late 3-pointer from Amir Green-Jones cut the margin to one at the break, then responded with a 43-point second half that nearly delivered a neutral-site win. The Eagles couldn't hold off the Bulldogs after going up by twelve with under ten minutes in the half.  Tennessee Wesleyan slowly chipped away at the lead giving the fans in attendance an intense final minute of play.  Unfortunately, the Eagles came up one point short in the excitement.

This marks the end of the road for the Eagles in this 2025-26 season.  The team will say goodbye to some talented players in Tee Williams, Derrick Brown, and Tucker Lowe, but a foundation was built for Coach Morgan's first run as the Eagles' head coach.  With time for his staff to bring in new talent this time around, Reinhardt Basketball should have an exciting future and continue to push for the AAC title.