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For Immediate Release
Feb. 11, 2010
Eureka Runs Past Principia, 75-62
ELSAH, Ill. – Eureka College seniors Kameron Bell (Clinton, Ill./Clinton H.S./Carl Sandburg) and Michael Zasada (McHenry, Ill./McHenry H.S.) each scored 21 points and collected eight rebounds, driving the Red Devils to a 75-62 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Principia, Thursday night in Elsah, Ill. The victory is Eureka’s third straight in league play.
Eureka (14-7, 9-4 SLIAC) took the lead in the second minute of the game when sophomore guard Andy Leppard (Crescent City, Ill./Crescent-Iroquois H.S.) made a three-pointer for a 9-6 lead. That advantage would stand up for the rest of the contest, as Leppard’s trey ignited a 20-5 run to give Eureka a 26-11 lead, its largest lead of the first game. Principia (5-17, 2-10 SLIAC) pulled within single-digits before the end of the half, trailing by as little as four points, 30-26, but the Red Devils took a 40-31 lead into intermission.
The second half was filled with runs and momentum swings for both teams. The Red Devils pushed their lead back to 15 points early in the second half after a layup from Bell for a 55-40 lead, but the hosts answered with nine straight points to trail 55-49. Eureka responded with a 7-0 surge behind a pair of baskets from Zasada and a three-pointer from junior guard Craig Black (Sullivan, Ill./Sullivan H.S.) to lead 62-49. Principia answered again with seven straight points on its next three possessions and trailed 62-56 before the Red Devils put together the game’s final run. A layup from junior forward Josh Wagner (Roanoke, Ill./Roanoke-Benson H.S./Carl Sandburg) ended an 11-2 Eureka surge for a 73-58 lead, matching Eureka’s largest advantage of the game.
Zasada passed Rick Taylor on Thursday to move into 12th place on the all-time Eureka scoring list with 1,211 points. His eight rebounds gave him 805 for his Eureka career, joining Chris Eaton as the only players in school history to score at least 1,200 points and grab at least 800 rebounds. Eaton finished his four-year career in 1994 with 1,528 points and 925 rebounds.
Thursday’s victory keeps Eureka locked in a second place-tie with MacMurray in the SLIAC standings at 9-4 with three league games remaining. Westminster leads the conference with a 12-1 mark, while Webster is clinging to the fourth and final slot for the league tournament with a 7-6 mark. The top four teams, excluding new league member Spalding, will qualify for the SLIAC Tournament hosted by the regular season champion on Feb. 25 and Feb. 27.
The Red Devils will face a quick turnaround when they travel to Louisville, Ky. on Saturday to play Spalding at 3 p.m.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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