For Immediate Release

eureka, illinois

No. 25 Warhawks shoot down Red Devils in opener

November 16, 2007

WHITEWATER, Wis. — Turnovers leading to prolonged scoreless periods plagued the Red Devils in their men's basketball 2007-08 season opener as Eureka lost to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the first round of the UW-Whitewater Tip-off Tournament 79-45. The Warhawks, ranked No. 25 in the NCAA Division III preseason poll, shot 55.8 percent and forced 26 Eureka turnovers.

Whitewater (1-0) tallied the first 10 points of the contest, but the Red Devils )0-1) clawed back to tie the game at 12-12 with seven points from Michael Zasada (McHenry, Ill./HS) and five off the bench by James Kowalski (El Paso, Ill./El Paso-Gridley).

But just as quickly, the Warhawks moved back ahead as EC went the next four minutes without a point. Zasada netted his second trey to trim the margin to 22-15 with under eight minutes left in the half. Whitewater used a fast 8-0 push late in the half to double the lead up to 16 before settling for a 38-24 halftime advantage.

Little went the Red Devils' way after intermission. Eureka shot 30.4 percent (7-23) from the field and even missed seven out of 10 free throws. Craig Black (Sullivan, Ill./HS) began the second half with a three-pointer to get Eureka within 11 only to see Whitewater sprint out to a 55-27 lead as EC did not score again for over seven minutes.

Zasada tied for game-high honors with 12 points and three steals, all coming in the first half. Kowalski finished with 10. Matt McComb (Fairview, Ill./Spoon River Valley) had three points, four rebounds and two assists.

Matt Goodwin, Josh King and Billy Kolinske logged 12 points apiece for the Warhawks, who out-rebounded Eureka 35-20.

Eureka will square off with North Park University, which lost to Milwaukee School of Engineering in the first game of the tournament 69-63, in the consolation match. The tip-off is slated for 5:00 pm.

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For More Information Contact:

Brian Sullivan
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bsullivan@eureka.edu