Eagles Get Four in Double Figures in Overtime Win!

Waleska, GA - It was one for the record books at the Brown Athletic Center on Saturday evening as the Eagles would get a huge conference win against the Rams of CIU, 83-77.

The Eagles had four players in double-figure scoring with Jalin Wimberly leading the way with 18 points. Nine of Wimberly's 18 points came from the free throw line with none bigger than his final four points at the end of overtime to secure the win. The Rams fouled Wimberly twice in the last 10 seconds of the game and Wimberly confidently knocked down the shots to keep the Eagles' five-point lead.

Joining Wimberly in double figures was Tafari Thomas who had a great game scoring 17 points and pulling down five rebounds. Six of Thomas' points came from two second-half set shot three-pointers which he bombed from the corners of the three-point arch.

Antonio Spencer continues to be the dominant force in the middle and often the go-to scorer when a bucket is needed. Spencer had 15 points for the Eagles and continued his consecutive streak of double-doubles adding 13 rebounds. He is quickly becoming the top big man in all of the AAC.

Nate Louis followed Spencer with 14 points and continues to have a great season for the Eagles both in starting roles and coming off the bench. He is very versatile for the Eagles being able to score both inside and beyond the three-point line. His long wingspan makes him very dangerous on defense as well and that helped in the game with CIU - especially in the final overtime period where he was at the top of the pressing defense.

Helping Louis on defense was the floor commander, Greg Hobbs. Hobbs does so much for the team that might not show up in the stat books, but his leadership on the court and superb defense creates havoc for opponents' guards. He eventually fouled in the final minutes of overtime but uses his fouls wisely and he made bringing the ball up the court hard for the Ram's guards.

The first half saw the Eagles get an early small lead which they would expand to eight points at one point in the half, but most of the period was very tight and the Eagles would enjoy a 34-30 halftime lead. Most of the second half would play out the same way as the first and all hope seemed to be lost as the Eagles had a technical foul and regular foul called with just three minutes left in the half. The game was tied before this and after the trips to the free throw line, the Rams pushed ahead to a six-point lead.

The Eagles did not let this get them down as they were able to catch back up to the Rams and tie the game from a jump shot by Wimberly. Louis would follow with a layup giving the Eagles a two-point lead with just five seconds left, however, the Rams would draw a foul and knock down both free throws with two seconds remaining. The Eagles were able to get off a decent last-second shot by Louis that just barely rimmed out sending the game to overtime with the game tied at 69-69.

Overtime continued to be close most of the way, but the Eagles were able to get a narrow lead that hovered around three to five points making the Rams play catch-up in the final minutes. This is when Jalin Wimberly's free throws came into play putting the game away for the Eagles. 

The win puts the Eagles at 5-4 in conference play and 5-6 overall. The Eagles will have the next week off picking up play again on the road on Saturday, December 10th at Truett McConnell. This will be a game the Eagles will like to get back against the Bears to reverse the game they let go at home in the previous meeting about two weeks ago. The final home game before the Christmas break will be on Tuesday, December 13th when the Eagles welcome Bluefield to the Brown Athletic Center.