Eagles Buckle Down in OT to Secure Conference Victory

By Brandon Wright, RU Athletics

WALESKA, Ga. – Reinhardt men's basketball snapped a two-game losing streak Tuesday night as it battled back against Montreat (N.C.) to secure a 92-87 conference victory in overtime.

Reinhardt was led in scoring by Kristian Collins with 26 points and Jalin Wimberly with 22 points. Two other Eagles – Greg Hobbs (12) and Marcus Kirkland (11) – also scored in double digits.

"The guys really bounced back," lead Eagle Justin Newton said. "Montreat is one of the most physical teams in our league and I thought we rebounded the ball well. The guys did a good job staying positive through the runs and just kept believing in each other.

"When we defend and share the ball... I think we are tough to beat."

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 lead changes and three ties. After finding themselves up, 11-8, early in the first half, the Eagles allowed Montreat to score eight unanswered to take a 17-11 lead. A few minutes later, after a made 3-pointer, Montreat was up eight points – its largest lead of the game.

A 21-6 Eagles run ensued and allowed them to take a 36-29 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first half. Montreat then went on a 9-1 run of its own to take a 38-37 edge at intermission.

The Cavaliers came out of the half strong and were able to increase the lead to seven points on two separate occasions, but just as it had all night, Reinhardt battled back.

With under three minutes to go, two-consecutive Collins treys gave the Eagles their first lead since just before the half at 79-78. A few possessions later, Montreat hit a 3-pointer and took back the lead, 81-79, with 44 seconds remaining.

After a turnover by the Eagles and then two missed free throws by Montreat, Reinhardt found itself in possession of the ball down two points with just over 20 seconds left until the final buzzer.

Wimberly then made a heads-up play by getting his defender off his feet and drawing a foul on an attempted trey. With all eyes on the redshirt junior from Leesburg, Ga., he sank two-of-three free throws and tied the game at 81 with 20 seconds left – then a defensive stop allowed the Eagles to get a chance for the last shot, but it rimmed out and the teams headed for overtime.

Three free throws and a Collins jump shot put the Eagles ahead, 86-81, in overtime. Montreat then hit two freebies of its own followed by two more free throws by Reinhardt. A Cavalier 3-pointer then made the score, 88-86, with 1:18 to go.

The Eagles then turned the ball over and committed a personal foul, and then Montreat hit one-of-two free throws to bring the score to 88-87 with 45 seconds remaining. Collins then put the game away by hitting a jump shot and making two free throws to give the Eagles a win in a game in which they trailed the vast majority.

Reinhardt's defense came up huge down the stretch and held Montreat to 14-of-39 shooting in the second half and overtime (38.2 percent on the night). The Cavaliers also struggled at the free throw line, where they were 25-of-41 on the night (61 percent). Though the Eagles were outrebounded, 47-46, they forced 23 Montreat turnovers.

In addition to Collins' 26 points, he added 10 rebounds and two assists.

Hobbs made numerous plays down the stretch on the both ends of the floor and ended his night with 12 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.

Reinhardt (14-7 overall, 9-6 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC)) is now in fourth in the standings behind Point (Ga.) (16-5, 12-5 AAC), Columbia International (S.C.) (10-4, 9-4 AAC), and Tennessee Wesleyan (12-6, 10-6 AAC).

The Eagles have victories over all three of those schools this year.

Reinhardt will travel to Union (Ky.) on Thursday for a 6 p.m. matchup. The Bulldogs are 7-8 on the year and 6-7 in conference play. The Eagles fell to Union, 86-71, in the first meeting between the two on Jan. 9. 

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