For Immediate Release

eureka, illinois

Griffins survive late Red Devils' flurry

January 9, 2008

EUREKA, Ill. — The Eureka women's basketball team all but erased a 15-point second half Fontbonne University advantage, getting to within one point, only to see an untimely offensive outage lead to an 81-63 defeat.

Eureka (1-10, 1-3 SLIAC) was behind by the count of 46-31 less than six minutes into the second half when the Red Devils began a 19-5 surge that brought them to within 51-50 with 6:38 remaining. Eureka had two possessions with a chance to take its first lead since the score was 4-2, but was turned away each time.

To make the going even tougher, the Red Devils were forced to play the most critical stage of the contest without their top two rebounders. Brandi Payne (Eureka, Ill./HS) picked up successive fouls on one possession, giving her four at the 7:19 mark. Nicole Fisher (Canton, Ill./HS), who led EC with 16 points and nine rebounds, was whistled for her fourth foul with 5:39 on the clock. By the time she re-entered, Fontbonne (4-7, 3-1) had extended its margin to seven (57-50), and was in the midst of a 17-2 run to end the game.

Fouls limited Fisher to a season-low 31 minutes, and she missed recording her fourth consecutive double-double by one rebound. She had secured at least 10 boards in each of her last eight games.

Eureka controlled the boards in the first 20 minutes, gaining an impressive 26-14 rebounding advantage, but Fontbonne outscored EC 11-3 at the line en route to a 36-25 cushion at intermission. For the game, the Griffins shot 75 percent (21-for-28) at the charity stripe compared to Eureka's 62.5 percent (10-for-16).

The Red Devils received a hearty effort off the bench from juniors Kim Downs (Kewanee, Ill./HS) and Shelby Naab (Beecher City, Ill./HS), who combined for 17 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and five steals. The Eureka bench outscored the Fontbonne bench 17-13 even though just two Red Devils saw double digit minutes, while Fontbonne had five.

Payne finished with eight points, while Brittany Gardner (Mooresville, Ind./HS) chipped in six. Both seniors grabbed five rebounds. The Red Devils shot 39.6 percent (21-for-53) on the night to mark the fourth consecutive game their field goal percentage has increased over their previous effort.

Amber Karnes scored 14 points after halftime to lead Fontbonne with 20 for the game. Heather McAllister had 16 points, eight boards and five steals for the Griffins, who shot 37.7 percent (23-for-61).

The Maroon and Gold will take to the road for the next two contests versus league foes. Saturday, January 12, EC battles Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. The men's game will begin at 1:00 pm, with the women's match up to follow at 3:00 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