Late Second Half Surge Pushes Night Hawks Past Eagles

Waleska, GA - In a thrilling encounter at the Brown Athletic Center, the RU Men's Basketball faced a tough challenge against the Thomas Night Hawks during the RU Classic. The Eagles are hosting Thomas University, Ave Maria University, and Point University this weekend in the inaugural RU Classic. Despite strong performances from Nate Jones, Zae Wiggins, and Tee Williams, the Eagles could not secure victory, falling 81-92 to the Night Hawks.

The game started on an intense note, with Thomas taking an early lead. By halftime, the score was 32-37 in favor of the Night Hawks. Throughout the game, Reinhardt struggled to take the lead, trailing by as much as 11 points during the second half. Key players for Reinhardt included Nate Jones, who scored 17 points, and Zae Wiggins, who contributed 15 points along with 2 rebounds and 3 steals. Tee Williams also added 16 points and played a critical defensive role with 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal. Derrick Brown was another spark coming off the bench adding 12 points, however, it was not enough to keep the Night Hawks down.

Jones was the leading scorer for the 2023-24 Eagles and is expected to lead this team again, however, he has a cast around him that can take some of the pressure off and make the team harder to defend with several scoring options.

Reinhardt caught Thomas with less than seven minutes left in the game, but the visiting Night Hawks pulled away in crunch time and won on day one of the RU Classic. The Eagles had three players foul out in the game compared to zero from Thomas.

Brasen James led the Eagles in the rebounding department, pulling 7 total. He also was just outside of double-figures with 9 points.  The Eagles will look to keep improving on their defense and rebounding so they can secure wins in games like this one versus Thomas. The run they had in the final portion of the game shows the potential of this team, but they will need to figure out how to keep teams down once they take the lead in the game.

The loss brings Reinhardt's current season record to 1-1. Looking ahead, the Eagles are set to face Point University again at the Brown on Saturday at 2 p.m. The team remains hopeful for a comeback in this next encounter, aiming to improve their record and showcase the kind of tenacity they're known for. Ave Maria and Thomas will play the first game on Saturday starting at noon.