Women's Basketball Cruises into AAC Semifinals
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The postseason started with a bang for Reinhardt women's basketball on Wednesday evening, as a double-double from Catherine Shope (18 points and 11 rebounds) combined with smothering defense helped the Eagles dismantle Montreat (N.C.) in the quarterfinal round of the AAC Championship, 88-45.
The hometown team locked in on the defensive side and forced the Cavaliers into just 19.4 percent shooting from the floor, resulting in lopsided scores in both the first (27-6) and third (26-6) periods.
"We are really proud of our team," lead Eagle Toby Wagoner said. "There's no doubt we were ready to go tonight. You never know how the first game is going to play out because it's no telling how players react in this situation. We have a great group of ladies and we are certainly proud of them."
Coming out of the locker room in a rhythm has been a theme for Reinhardt under head coach Toby Wagoner, and tonight was no different, as the Eagles seemingly put the outcome to rest after the first 10 minutes.
Montreat was able to collect itself and take the second quarter, but another wave of scoring came its way in the third period – and it was too much to handle for the Cavaliers.
Another bright spot was Abi Haynes, specifically on defense, as she was also in double figures scoring at 11 points to go along with 8 steals, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
Reinhardt's stifling defense led to numerous opportunities at the basket and helped the squad hit 32-of-63 from the field (50.8 percent), including eight shots from deep and 16-for-21 from the charity stripe.
Montreat just had no answers on the offensive end and its deficit was aided by 23 turnovers. Defensively, the Cavaliers couldn't focus on just one Eagle scorer to shut down, as they saw 10 Reinhardt student-athletes collect at least five points.
Passing and communication was also on point for the hometown group as it combined for 17 assists, 14 thefts and a half-dozen blocks (four from Emilee Swafford).
Not to be outdone, Brylee Puckett added nine tallies and three boards, while two additional teammates netted eight points each.
A spot in the Championship final is on the line tomorrow against Union (Ky.).
Tip is set for 4 p.m.
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For more information on Reinhardt Women's Basketball, please click here.