Eagles Pick Up Important AAC Win Against Montreat

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Men's Basketball was back home on Wednesday evening for an important conference game against Montreat. The Eagles were coming off a road loss last week against Point University so they really needed to have a good game to get their conference record back to .500.

The first half would be very close with the score staying within a few points of each other most of the half. The Eagles were able to get a lead up to nine points at one point around the midway point of the half on a three-pointer from Jamison Syphore. Syphore came off the bench to score nine for the Eagles. 

The Cavaliers of Montreat battled their way back to narrow the lead to just two points with about eight minutes left in the first half. The Eagles were able to get the lead up to nine again with about three minutes remaining on a pair of made free throws by senior Jalin Wimberly. Wimberly has been battling injuries from the start of the season, but still finds a way to make contributions in each game. Tonight Wimberly ended up with 11 points making him one of four Eagles in double figures scoring in the game. Tafari Thomas led the Eagles in scoring in the game with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

The first half would end with the Eagles having a four-point lead, 38-34 despite having the nine-point lead a few times in the half.

The second half is where the Eagles would turn it on and show how they could put up a lot of points fast in a short period. The Eagles would extend their lead early in the second half to twelve points on a put-back slam by center Antonio Spencer who ended up with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Spencer made his presence felt in the lane the entire game and recorded 5 block shots. He would foul out in the last couple of minutes of the game, but he had already done his damage and helped the Eagles get a sixteen-point lead with just ten minutes remaining in the game. The lead would get as high as nineteen points but hovered around the twelve to fifteen-point range most of the second half. 

The game had a feel of a much closer game, but the Eagles really took control early in the second half and they were able to keep the lead to finish out the game. Mekhi Mawdesley was the fourth Eagle in double figures scoring 12 points - which many were long-range bombs from behind the three-point arch. He would score the first 6 points for the Eagles on two three-pointers. It was a much-needed win for the Eagles and the team was ready to play coming off the Thanksgiving holiday break. 

The Eagles will have another chance to pick up another conference win this Saturday when the Rams of CIU come to town. The game is at 4 pm at the Brown Athletic Center.