McDaniel's 27 allows Tigers to hold off Reinhardt

Playing for the 2nd straight night with only 7 players available, Georgetown faced a seemingly tough test against Reinhardt at The Show. The Tigers had other ideas in the first half and built a double-digit lead going into the 3rd quarter. Reinhardt charged back, but a 27-point night from Teionni McDaniel proved the difference in a 71-63 Georgetown win.

McDaniel and Abby Varney got Georgetown going with the first 4 points on the game before Reinhardt hit the first of its 11 threes on the night. The Tigers then went on a 10-2 run with threes from Anna Long and Callie Jackson in the mix to take a 14-5 lead 4 minutes into the game. Later in the quarter, Teionni McDaniel raced through the lane for a layup just seconds after Reinhardt had scored to give Georgetown a 19-9 lead with 3:16 left. McDaniel scored again after Reinhardt had gotten back within 6 at 20-14. Jordan Rogers soon followed with a deep 3 for a 25-14 lead late. An Abby Varney free throw gave GC a 26-14 lead after 1. The Tigers shot 53% in the quarter, including 3-4 from beyond the arc and only 1 turnover to build the lead.

The 2nd quarter proved much more of a grind for the offense. Georgetown did not score a point until the 7:43 mark with a Callie Jackson free throw. The first bucket didn't come until 5:04 with an AJ Stevenson jumper. For most teams, that spells trouble. For Georgetown the lead remained 12 as Reinhardt hit a 3 just 26 seconds into the quarter and then went scoreless for nearly 5 minutes of game action. Stevenson and McDaniel combined to score the final 14 Georgetown points of the quarter as the Tigers took a 41-25 lead to the break. Stevenson scored 10 in the quarter to keep the Eagles at bay. Georgetown's defense allowed just 4-16 shooting and forced 4 turnovers.

Quarter 3 was where Reinhardt made its move. 2 quick threes in less than 90 seconds immediately cut the GC lead to 41-31. AJ Stevenson scored the first Tiger points at the 7:03 mark for a 43-33 lead. Reinhardt hit 2 more threes to cut the deficit down to 4. Free throws from Stevenson and a jumper from McDaniel gave Georgetown a 47-39 lead with 5:05 to go. Reinhardt kept shooting and kept hitting. A three with 3:27 to go cut the lead down to 1 at 47-46. After 2 Anna Long free throws, Reinhardt then completed an old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the game at 49 with 2:15 to go in the 3rd. Moments later, AJ Stevenson knocked down a massive 3 to put the Tigers ahead by 3. After a Reinhardt miss, Teionni McDaniel took her turn with the old-school 3-point play to give Georgetown much-needed breathing room at 55-49 heading to the 4th.

The play sparked McDaniel as she scored Georgetown's first 8 points of the 4th as the Tigers took a tie game and broke out to a 63-53 lead with 6:42 to go. Reinhardt hit a jumper and was going for more, but Jordan Rogers swiped a pass that led to an Anna Long 3 for a 66-55 lead. Reinhardt countered inside to make the game a 66-57 Georgetown lead with 5:31 to go. The game went scoreless for nearly 2 minutes before Reinhardt hit a single free throw at the 3:43 mark. Georgetown wouldn't score again until a jumper from Sophie Smith with 2:25 to go for a 68-58 lead. Reinhardt scored right back and on Georgetown's next possession, Smith tried from 3 and missed but Teionni McDaniel grabbed a huge offensive rebound. Smith reset the offense and fired right back to McDaniel, who calmly knocked down the knockout 3 with 1:33 left to give the Tigers an insurmountable 71-60 lead. Reinhardt hit a late 3 but it mattered not in the final result.

Teionni McDaniel scored 11 of her game-high 27 points in the 4th as Georgetown fought off the Reinhardt rally. AJ Stevenson tallied 18 points and 3 steals off the bench. Anna Long and Callie Jackson scored 8 each. Points off turnovers and 2nd chance points proved critical to the win. Georgetown finished with a 23-12 edge in points off turnovers even though the Tigers committed 1 more turnover than Reinhardt (15-14). Georgetown also had a +7 edge in 2nd chance points (13-6) thanks to 10 offensive rebounds.

The Tigers next head to Midway for a Wednesday evening matchup. Tip time is set for 5:30pm.