Skyhawks soar to victory over Eagles
WEST POINT, Ga. (Jan. 20, 2022) – Nicole Izuagie connected for four late-game 3-pointers to help send the Point University women's basketball team to an 83-75 victory over Reinhardt Thursday evening inside West Point Park Gymnasium.
Izuagie finished the evening with a team-high of 19 points, going 5-for-13 from perimeter shooting. She was followed by Marta Gimenez and Iyanna McMillan, who recorded 16 points apiece; Gimenez recorded seven rebounds and eight assists to add to her stat line. Sheyvonne Owens led under the basket with eight boards, adding eight points, and Jasmine Griggs also recorded eight points, tallying on seven rebounds and three assists. Off the bench, Tasha Jackson had eight points, six of which came from the free-throw line, as Jackson was 6-for-6 from behind the charity stripe.
It was an intense battle all game long, as Reinhardt and Point combined for 42 fouls (26 from Reinhardt, 16 from Point), and three members of Reinhardt's squad fouled out.
Game flow
A trip to the free-throw line from Gimenez helped Point take a 5-4 lead in the first quarter, and the Skyhawks would hold the lead for the remainder of the frame, entering the second quarter ahead 16-9. Point closed the opening frame on a 7-2 run as Gimenez connected for two free-throws, followed by a triple from McMillan and Destinee Ellison rounded out the run with a jump shot.
The Eagles brought the score back within two entering the second half as they opened with a 5-0 run. McMillan extended Point's lead out with a 3-pointer, assisted by Griggs to end Reinhardt's quarter opening run. With 2:42 left before halftime, Reinhardt connected with back-to-back three-pointers to take a 24-22 lead. Point would close the half out on an 8-2 run, beginning with two free throws from Jackson. Ellison would follow with a layup and Jackson would conclude the half with back-to-back trips to the free-throw line, sinking all four shots. Point entered the break leading 30-26.
Reinhardt went straight to work out of the break, tying the game at 30 with back-to-back layups. The Skyhawks regained the lead with a layup from Owens and Griggs extended it out to four with a layup of her own. Reinhardt's Abi Haynes brought Reinhardt back with a 3-pointer followed by a made free throw, tying the game at 34, but two free throws from Izuagie would spark a run from the Skyhawks with 4:37 left in the quarter. The Skyhawks would close the frame out on a 15-7 run; following Izuagie's trip to the charity stripe, Jackson and Owens connected for layups and Izuagie sank her first 3-pointer of the night. A layup from Haynes would bring Reinhardt back within two with 1:14 left, but McMillan would extend Point's lead back out with a triple and Izuagie would follow with another three-pointer. Kyra Hart would earn Point a double-digit lead with two free throws, and the Skyhawks would enter the final frame leading 51-41.
Reinhardt opened the final quarter on a 10-1 run, bringing the score back within one. Gimenez ended the Eagles' run with a 3-pointer, but a layup from Haynes and a triple from Reinhardt's Catherine Shope earned Reinhardt its first lead of the second half (56-55). Over the next two minutes of action, both teams were back-and-forth, with neither earning a larger lead than one. Still, with under five minutes remaining, Izuagie connected for her third 3-pointer of the night and sank another triple a minute later to help the Skyhawks hold its lead. Reinhardt continued to work on Point's lead as the Eagles brought the score back within one with 2:44 remaining, but McMillan connected for a triple and Izuagie followed with a layup to help Point take a 71-66 lead. The Eagles once again brought the score within one before the Skyhawks called a full timeout with 1:28 remaining, and out of the break, Izuagie connected for a 3-pointer and Gimenez followed with back-to-back trips to the free-throw line, sinking all four shots. Point led 78-72 with 46 seconds remaining in the game and scored its final five points of the game off made free throws, all from Griggs.
"Tonight I thought our ladies played hard and they were resilient throughout the game," Head Coach Tory Wooley said. "Our team fought through adversity and we were rewarded for our efforts. We got huge contributions from everyone and our four seniors Marta, Tasha, Nicole, and Iyanna played like seniors and hit big-time shots. We did an outstanding job rebounding and our posts Shey and Tasha did an outstanding job on the defensive end, given Reinhardt's size. It's always great to get a win against our rival."
With Thursday's win, Point advances to 13-3 (9-3 AAC), and the Eagles fall to 8-8 (7-4 AAC). The Skyhawks return to action on Saturday, Jan. 22, as they host Appalachian Athletic Conference foe Union at 3:30 p.m. inside West Point Park Gymnasium.
