Eagles Get First AAC Win at Home Opener

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Basketball showed signs of coming together as a team in the home opener matchup with AAC foe, Tennessee Wesleyan on Saturday.  The Eagles' first two games of the season exposed some areas that the Eagles needed to improve on and they did just that with a good AAC win against the Bulldogs, 82-73

The first half of the game saw Reinhardt take an early lead, outscoring Tennessee Wesleyan 38-30. Nate Jones and Tyler Smith led the way for Reinhardt, contributing 17 points each. Their strong performances helped the team maintain their advantage throughout the game. Smith has proven from the first three games that he is the leader of this team and will be a factor in keeping the Eagles in the top half of the AAC. Along with his 17 points, Smith had 8 rebounds - just two shy of a back-to-back double-double.  

Nate Louis was not far behind Jones and Smith adding 14 to the Eagles' total as a starter in the game.  Louis will be needed all season long to have performances like this if the Eagles are going to be successful. Louis had 5 rebounds to go with his 14 points.

Redshirt freshman, Nekhi Fischer was a spark off the bench for the Eagles becoming the fourth Eagle to get double-figure scoring in the game. Fischer had 12 points in 18 minutes of play. Fred Adams, Derrian Reed, and Tucker Lowe added valuable minutes coming off the bench as well scoring 4, 5, and 5 respectively.

Reinhardt's shooting accuracy was a key factor in their victory, with the team shooting at an impressive 50.9% from the field and 52.4% from beyond the arc. Their free-throw shooting was also excellent, with an 81% success rate. This is a huge improvement from the first two games where the Eagles struggled shooting - especially from behind the arc.

On the defensive end, Reinhardt displayed their prowess by recording eight steals and three blocks. Forward Mitchel Kennedy made the most of his start playing big in the middle and recording two of the three blocks. Louis got the third block for the Eagles.

The victory improves Reinhardt's record to 2-1, with a 1-1 conference record. Tennessee Wesleyan, on the other hand, falls to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The result will undoubtedly have implications for both teams' standings in their respective conferences.

The Eagles will take this win but know they still have much to work on as the season progresses. Getting point guard Brandon Barron back in the mix will definitely help the team run smoothly and cut down on some of the turnovers that have plagued the team early this season. 

The next matchup for Reinhardt will be on Tuesday evening when the team faces NCAA D1 opponent, Troy University.