For Immediate Release

eureka, illinois

Precise Darnall leads Red Devils against Jays

January 12, 2008

FULTON, Mo. — Mark Darnall (Lake Mills, Wis./HS) netted 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting as the Eureka Red Devils fell in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play to Westminster College 66-52 Saturday. The victory for the league-leading Blue Jays did not come without a scare, however, as the game was tied in the early stages of the second half.

The Red Devils' attack featured a hot start and a 10-0 rally that spanned the first and second half. Unfortunately, these flashes of brilliance only added to the frustration for Eureka (2-10, 2-3 SLIAC), which saw its inconsistency pop up to transform possible victory into defeat.

Eureka raced out to a 9-4 lead only to see Westminster (8-3, 4-0 SLIAC) battle back with a 26-6 run to take its largest lead of the half at 30-15. The back-and-forth momentum swings continued late in the period when Darnall and Michael Zasada (McHenry, Ill./HS) each put in a three-pointer and lay up to cut the Red Devils' deficit to only three (37-34) at intermission.

Brady Wildenradt (Delavan, Ill./HS) then canned a trey to open the second half to cap 10 straight EC points to knot the score at 37. Eureka was down just 40-39 when the Westminster defense took over the game, surrendering just a single point over the next 7:45. It permitted the Blue Jays to reel off 20 of the next 21 points for a 60-40 lead with 5:55 remaining.

Westminster's two scoring runs accounted for a 46-7 advantage over roughly 17 minutes played. Eureka outscored the Blue Jays 45-20 in the other 23 minutes of the contest.

Wildenradt tossed in 10 points for his sixth double digit scoring effort of the season. Zasada and Chris Beecher (Dixon, Ill./HS) tied for team-high honors with six rebounds. Matt McComb (Fairview, Ill./Spoon River Valley) recorded eight points, five assists and two steals. The Red Devils' 37.8 percent (17-for-45) field goal percentage included a 3-for-17 (18 percent) venture from behind the arc in the second half.

Andrew Buxton was the only Blue Jay in double figures with 20 points. A 49 percent shooter coming into the game, he was 6-for-19 from the field versus the Red Devils.

Eureka next travels to MacMurray College Wednesday, January 16. The men's game at 8:00 pm follows the women's match up at 6:00 pm.

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For More Information Contact:

Bryan Moore
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bmoore@eureka.edu