For Immediate Release
elmhurst, illinois
December 19, 2008
No. 1 Washington extends Eureka's streak vs. unbeatens
Boxscore
The Eureka College Red Devils finished running a gauntlet of three consecutive undefeated opponents with their tallest task yet Friday night in the first round of the Bluejay Classic hosted by Elmhurst College. Defending NCAA Division III national champion Washington University dealt Eureka a 95-72 loss despite a superb offensive showing by EC senior Brady Wildenradt (Delavan, Ill./HS).
The top ranked Bears (9-0) displayed a potent attack of their own on the night, recording a 62.3 field goal percentage (33-for-53) overall and sinking half of their 20 three-point attempts. The Red Devils (2-7) countered with 10 treys of their own, but were forced into 20 turnovers and shot 40.7 percent (24-59)
Wildenradt and Michael Zasada (McHenry, Ill./HS) combined for Eureka's first 12 points of the contest as EC stayed within 16-12 seven minutes into the fray. Washington would make three triples over the next minute and a half, however, to spark a 15-2 run that left the Red Devils trailing 31-14. It took the Bears just over four minutes to increase their lead from four to 17 points.
The Red Devils held up much better over the final nine minutes of the frame than they did for the preceding four. Washington continued to execute with high efficiency, but Zasada kept Eureka within a respectable margin with his 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range and 12 first half points. The Bears went ahead by as many as 23 until a Mark Darnall (Lake Mills, Wis./HS) three-pointer set the halftime score at 48-28.
The last thing the Red Devils could afford coming out of the break was an offensive slump, but that was exactly what Washington trapped Eureka into as EC went over four minutes to begin the second half without scoring. That allowed the Bears to sneak off to a 57-29 advantage.
Again Eureka would recover to play much improved ball down the stretch as the Red Devils finished the game outscoring Washington 32-18 over the last 10:30 of the contest. Wildenradt led all players in the second half with 10 points to finish with a game-high 17 on 6-for-9 shooting. He dished out three assists as well, for his third game with at least 13 points and three helpers in his last six outings.
Zasada finished with 14 points and four rebounds in his sixth double digit scoring effort of the season. Eureka grabbed a 34-27 edge in rebounds led by Kameron Bell (Clinton, Ill./HS), who pulled in a game-high seven. Darnall chipped in nine points and four boards, while Jordan Kindred (Chrisman, Ill./HS) and Craig Black (Sullivan, Ill./HS) added seven. Kindred also registered four assists.
Washington had five players reach at least 11 points, with Aaron Thompson leading the pack with 13. The Bears had 26 assists on 33 made field goals.
Eureka will match up with Benedictine University (4-5) in the consolation game of the Bluejay Classic starting at 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 20. It will be the second meeting between the Red Devils and Eagles in a tournament this season. On November 21, Benedictine erased a 17-point first half lead by Eureka en route to a 81-68 victory at the Illinois College Tournament. The Eagles were topped by No. 10 Elmhurst College 89-83 in the nightcap of the tournament.
###
For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bmoore@eureka.edu
|
