Berry's Megan Walsh Records Double-Double, But Reinhardt Tops Lady Vikes

by Matthew D. Stokes
BerryVikings.com Staff Writer

Rome, Ga. – Megan Walsh led Berry with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but visiting Reinhardt overcame a second half rally to defeat the Lady Vikings 80-68 in a Tuesday evening matchup at the Cage Center.

Berry jumped out to an early lead, but the visitors fought back in a first half that featured five lead changes. At the end of the first 20 minutes, Reinhardt led 36-31.

After trailing by as many as eight points in the first half, Berry battled back to take a 45-42 advantage with 15:42 remaining in the second half after a Brittany Coughlan three-pointer.

"We settled down," said Berry head coach Stephanie Dunn about the first five minutes of the second half. "We have young players, so in the first half they tend to be a little anxious to do things. We showed a little more patience and got into our offense in the second half."

However less than five minutes later, Reinhardt  reclaimed the lead, something that it would not relinquish for the rest of the game.

"We lost the battle on the offensive boards," Dunn said of Reinhardt's 14-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. "Jordan Marsh started to enforce her will on us on the glass.

"We're challenging ourselves. We're playing teams that we know are giving out scholarships and have good tradition," Dunn said of Berry's schedule. "We're working on building a foundation and getting better."

In addition to Walsh's team-high 15 points, Coughlan had 12 for the Lady Vikings and Brooke Thomas added 10. Reinhardt's Erin Courington recorded a game-high 16 points and was one of four players in double figures for the Eagles. Marsh (13 points, 13 rebounds), Kareen Abling (15 points), and Ann Wilcher (15 points) also finished in double figures.

Reinhardt's reserves scored more than half of the Eagles' points and outscored Berry's bench 41-23.  Reinhardt also made twice as many free throws as Berry, holding a 22-11 edge in that department.

The Lady Vikings return to the hardwood on Friday when they travel to Memphis, Tenn., to play Rhodes College at 3 p.m.

- BerryVikings.com -