Nate Louis Keeps Goals Alive With Last Second Three Pointer

Waleska, GA - The Eagles hosted rival Point University at the Brown Athletic Center on Tuesday evening and the game did not disappoint. Nate Louis was able to connect on a last-second shot that put the Eagles on the winning side, 60 to 58. The shot brought the student body out of the stands onto the floor to celebrate with Louis and the team. It was a great moment for RU Basketball!

The game itself took a while to get going. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but it was an entertaining game most of the way. In a long season, some games you have to just grind your way to a win no matter how you are playing and this was one of those games for the Eagles.

Tafari Thomas was the leader for the Eagles in the first half where he scored 11 of his 20 points - which was the game high in scoring. Thomas has had several games where he has led the way for the Eagles in scoring and the Eagles needed all of his 20 points in the game. He also was able to pull down 9 rebounds, which is another specialty for Thomas.

Along with Thomas' 20 points, the Eagles had three other players in double-figures. Jalin Wimberly, Antonio Spencer, and Louis all had 10 points each to help the Eagles scrap for the win. Spencer had another solid game for the Eagles pulling down 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points.

The first half was very tight most of the way with the Eagles leading most of the first half. They would enjoy a narrow two-point lead going into the halftime break, 27-25. 

The second half would see the scoring pick up some, but still slightly under what the Eagles normally score in a game. The Eagles would build on their lead in the first five minutes of the second half getting their lead to twelve - which was the high point of the game. 

The Skyhawks would work their way back into the game and eventually take the lead in the final ten minutes of the second half. The score would not get over a one-point advantage for either side and this set up the final moments of the game. Spencer's dunk in the final minute would put the Eagles up 57 to 55 and Point would answer back with a three-pointer of their own. This put the Skyhawks up by one point 58 to 57. This gave the Eagles plenty of time to get a good shot on goal. Wimberly would get a good look at the basket with about 8 seconds left, however, it would come up short and bounce off a few legs before going out of bounds to the Eagles. This set up the final 2.2 seconds where Louis received an inbound pass from Gregg Hobbs. Louis launched the three-pointer in the deep corner and it swished right through the net as time expired. 

This was a huge win for the Eagles as it kept their spot in the AAC standings and got them closer to their goal of making it to the NAIA National Invitation. There is still a lot of work that needs to happen in order for the dream of going to the NAIA Tournament. The Eagles have three of their final four games on the road with Bluefield, CIU, and Tennessee Wesleyan. The one final home game is against Kentucky Christian on February 14th.