Eastern Kentucky picked up another win at home today against the Longwood Lancers. It’s quickly becoming a usual sight to see EKU win at home, as today marked their fourth straight home win and pushed them to 4-0 on the season when playing in McBrayer Arena. It was the third and final day of the EKU Hoops Classic, and the Colonels proved that it’s going to take quite an effort to beat them in their own building.
Eastern started the game off hot, something they’ve had trouble doing this season. In the first ten minutes of the game it seemed as if EKU just couldn’t miss, shooting the ball exceptionally well as they buried 10 of their 13 shots from the field. However, their offensive rhythm dropped off around the ten minute mark in the first half as they missed 9 of their next 12 shots, allowing Longwood to get back in the game and eventually take the lead.
Longwood big man Lotanna Nwogbo was an unstoppable force in the first half, accounting for 15 points on excellent 7/8 shooting. With EKU big man Nick Mayo in early foul trouble, Eastern had nobody that could slow Nwogbo down. While EKU’s offensive output was hindered greatly in the first half, veteran forward Jarelle Reischel played brilliantly, pouring in 14 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in the first half alone.
At the start of the second half, both teams continued to trade buckets back and forth, with neither team pulling away. This changed drastically about midway through the half when suddenly Eastern Kentucky had a monumental surge of energy on both sides of the ball, led by senior Jarelle Reischel. Along with Reischel, EKU got exquisite performances from both Javontae Hawkins and Paul Jackson.
It’s becoming a fairly regular to occurrence for Javontae Hawkins to have a big game as he has been the Colonels leading scorer this season, stringing together a number of impressive outings. It was a breakout game for sophomore PG Paul Jackson, ending the game with a double-double (14 points, 13 assists) and playing outstanding, smothering defense throughout the game.
While Hawkins and Jackson played great basketball, the star of the game was easily Jarelle Reischel. The senior had an amazing game from start to finish, playing astounding defense, rebounding with ferocity, and pouring in and endless stream of points for his team. In the post-game interview, Resichel stated that he was, “just trying to get the win by any means necessary”. He accomplished that on a mind-boggling stat line of 37 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
It’s been a good weekend for the Colonels as they were undefeated in the EKU Hoops Classic and improved their record to 4-1 on the season. If this weekend was any indication of success, it looks like Eastern Kentucky has a successful season ahead of them.
Standout Performances:
EKU
-Jarelle Reischel: 37 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast, 3 stk, 2 blk
-Javontae Hawkins: 26 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast
-Paul Jackson: 14 pts, 13 ast, 3 reb
LONGWOOD
-Lotanna Nwogbo: 26 pts, 7 reb
-Tra’Vaughn White: 21 pts, 4 reb
FINAL: 110-97 Eastern Kentucky
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