Nate Louis Scores 26 in Tight Overtime Loss at Union

Barbersville, KY - In a thrilling AAC matchup between Reinhardt and Union College on Thursday evening, it was the Bulldogs of Union who came out on top with a final score of 94-88 in overtime. The game was closely contested throughout, with both teams giving their all to secure the coveted conference win.  Reinhardt continues to play the Bulldogs close season after season, but they cannot seem to get the win against the perennial top team in the AAC.

The first half saw Reinhardt take an early lead, outscoring Union 31-29. However, Union fought back in the second half, matching Reinhardt's intensity and scoring 47 points to Reinhardt's 45. The game was tied at 76 at the end of regulation, forcing the teams into overtime.

In overtime, Union managed to gain an upper hand by scoring 18 points compared to 12 by the Eagles. The game was tied with just a minute left in the overtime period, however, a costly turnover with about thirty seconds remaining allowed the Bulldogs to get an easy layup and commanding 4-point lead. Reinhardt played the foul game, but they could not break into the two-possession lead as the seconds dripped off the clock.

Nate Louis put on a stellar display, scoring a game-high 26 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Louis shot an efficient 9-of-13 from the field, including two made three-pointers. This was one of the best games by the senior who is playing in his third year at Reinhardt

Nate Jones also had a strong showing, adding 19 points to Reinhardt's tally. Jones has been a consistent spark for the Eagles in his first year playing under Coach Newton.  As the season progresses, Jones will make his mark on the long AAC season and be among the leaders in the league stats.

Tyler Smith had a tough night at the free throw line only shooting 1 for 6, but he was able to get double-figure scoring again with 11 points. He was 50% from the field (5 for 10 shooting). Redshirt freshman Nekhi Fisher had a good game coming off the bench and scoring 12 to help the Eagles in their efforts in the game. Fisher also had 5 boards for the Eagles.

Freshman point guard Tayden Ownes also continues to show signs of being a great floor leader for Coach Newton as he scored 6 points tonight. He played 33 minutes in the game and only had two turnovers, which is a pretty good stat for a point guard. He had 3 assists in the game.

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with Union shooting just 19.2% from three-point range and Reinhardt shooting slightly better at 25.0%. However, Union managed to make up for their shooting woes by converting 62.5% of their free throw attempts.

The Eagles have proven that they can play among the elites of the conference so far after having a shaky start. Each game they play will be one more step for the team to gel. The Eagles will not be a team that you will want to face as the final third of the season comes around. The team will have another chance to face Union when the two teams meet again in early January in Waleska.

Reinhardt will have another tough opponent coming up on Saturday at 4 pm at the Brown Athletic Center. The Eagles will face AAC newcomer, the Pikeville Bears, which bring a competitive basketball program to the conference.