Pair of Personal Bests Push Eagles Past Skyhawks, 81-72

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
 
WEST POINT, Ga. – Ashton Sutton had a career-best 25 points and Symone Williams wasn't far behind with 21, a career-high of her own, as the Eagles completed a perfect 6-0 road swing following an 81-72 victory at Point (Ga.) on Wednesday evening.

No. 23 Reinhardt rolled to its sixth-consecutive victory en route to a 17-2 record on the year, including 14-2 inside the Appalachian athletic Conference.

"I thought our girls came focused and ready to play tonight from the start," assistant coach Ellie Fruit said. "We knew it would be a tough atmosphere to play at, and Point is a good team. I thought our execution on both ends was really good from the start, and that's what we talked about in the locker room.

"We knew defense was going to be key, just like it is every other game, as well as limiting our turnovers. I thought we did a better job in both of those areas. Really proud of our girls, and it was a team effort tonight; we are all so ready to have Coach Wags back on the court with us!"

The hometown squad came firing out of the gates with a monster first period, a 26-15 advantage, and followed that up with another 20-point quarter – but the Skyhawks were only one tally behind in the second – as the teams headed to the locker room with the score, 46-34.

Both Reinhardt and Point would continue their offensive ways in the third stanza to the tune of 49 combined tallies in a high-flying 10 minutes to begin the final half of play. The scoring would then slow down a notch in the fourth quarter as the hosts were only able to gain two points on the Eagles' lead despite them notching only 11 in the period.

Sutton helped her team shoot 45.2 percent in the win (28-of-62) as she was a primary contributor from beyond the arc, nailing 5-of-10 from deep and was 9-for-15 from the floor. Williams was 6-for-13 overall and hit 8-13 from the free throw line.

Another bright spot on the court was once again Bethany Headrick, who dominated the glass with 15 rebounds, 10 points and 4 assists.

Amberlee Zeller and Catherine Shope each had nine points and four and six boards, respectively.

Defensively, the Eagles forced 17 turnovers (nine steals) and surrendered just 39.4 percent shooting from the Skyhawks as they were also just 6-for-21 from 3-point land while trying to come from behind.

Reinhardt finally comes back home to the Brown Athletic Center to take on Union (Ky.) on Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. 

For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram. 

For more information on Reinhardt Women's Basketball, please click here.