Shope Leads Eagles to Big Win Against CIU

David Finney | photo by G-Rox Photography

Waleska, GA - The Reinhardt Eagles were able to get their second win in a row placing them in seventh place currently in the AAC standings.  As the 2021-22 regular season comes to a close, every game is an essential win in determining the placement for the conference tournament. This Saturday, the team did what they needed to do to secure a strong AAC win defeating CIU 85-70!

There is no doubt you cannot look past the play of Catherine Shope in this game. She scored the first 8 points of this game for the Eagles as the game started off tight in the first quarter. Symone Williams would add a layup just past the halfway point of the quarter, however, the Eagles would be behind 12-10 to the Rams of CIU. CIU would get one more basket inside two minutes left in the first estending their early lead, but Reinhardt's Marlie Townley would score a layup and a free throw in the final minute to pull the Eagles within one. The quarter ended 14-13 for CIU.

Townley would hit another layup to start the second quarter giving Reinhardt the lead once again. The game would go through several tight score changes over the next several minutes of the quarter until Torie Williams hit a three-pointer followed by a layup putting the Eagles up 20-17. In the final minutes of the second quarter, the ball would find its way back into the hands of Catherine Shope. Shope made a couple of free throws followed by a three-pointer with just about three minutes left in the quarter. Abi Haynes would score her first basket of the game on a layup putting the Eagles up by eleven as the quarter started winding down. Shope would hit two back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute of the half giving Reinhardt the halftime lead, 38-27.

Shope would start the third quarter off with another three-pointer after a pair of Brylee Puckett free throws extending the lead for the Eagles. Shope was having a special night shooting and her leadership was needed for Coach Wagoner and the team. This was Catherine Shope's game and her teammates were feeding her the ball. She was in her zone and CIU had no answers for #20. 

Midway through the third quarter, a three-pointer by Shope followed by back-to-back threes by Brooke Grinstead almost put the game away at that point. It was a devastating barrage of three-pointers that CIU could not answer. The lead extended to twenty-one points in the final minutes of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter would see the Eagles keep their lead with shots from Abi Haynes and Tarrah Gibson. The lead would dip to fifteen at points, but then get back up to twenty as the Eagles continued scoring. Briana McRae would enter the game to make a layup and hit a couple of free throws to finish out the game for the Eagles getting them a dominant 85-70 win.

For the game, Catherine Shope would lead all scorers with 34 points on a tremendous display of shooting. Abi Haynes would add 12 points and Brooke Grinstead with 8. Haynes would have 7 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Eagles as well.

The Eagles look to continue with their current win streak as Milligan comes in for a late afternoon game Tuesday at The Brown Athletic Center. It will be a big night of basketball as the regular season starts to wind down and the Women are playing great right now.