For Immediate Release
jacksonville, illinois
January 21, 2009
Red Devils pull out late comeback win behind Crum's 34 pts
Boxscore
Eureka College finally found some good fortune in a close game as the Red Devils tallied 13 of the game's final 17 points to steal an 80-77 victory at MacMurray College Wednesday night. The comeback win took plenty of heroics, but Lindsey Crum (Washington, Ill./HS) led the way with 34 points, which is the most by a Red Devil in a game in over 16 years.
Eureka (2-12, 2-5 SLIAC) trailed for the first 59 minutes of the game. MacMurray's (3-12, 2-5 SLIAC) largest lead was 13 points in the first half, but EC rallied back to tie the game three times after halftime. The first two times, the Highlanders were able to regain the lead, including a nine-point margin with 6:36 remaining.
Crum, who was 4-for-5 on three-point attempts in the second half, sank two from behind the arc to keep Eureka close, but MacMurray still led 74-67 when the conference's scoring leader, Abby Lowe, sank a jumper at the 3:44 mark.
Crum and the Red Devils were not to be denied on this night, however. The junior sharpshooter scored the next seven points of the contest to pull Eureka even at 74 with 1:48 to play. Then, she assisted on the go-ahead basket by Lisa Byard (Morton, Ill./HS), who had just knocked the ball away defensively to give EC the possession. Eureka's first lead of the night came with exactly one minute to play.
It did not look like it would last long, though, as Lowe was sent to the line when Kim Downs (Kewanee, Ill./HS) was called for her fifth foul with 45 seconds on the clock. But Lowe surprisingly missed the first free throw, keeping Eureka in front 76-75. Following a timeout, Lauren Snopek (Metamora, Ill./HS) drove into the lane and converted a clutch shot to lift EC to a three-point edge.
Lowe raced down the court to quickly bank in a layup to slice the margin back to one, but before the MacMurray defense could get reset, Crum drove in to make a running bank shot with 10.2 seconds left moving the Red Devils ahead 80-77. Lowe still had one more bullet, but her desperation three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
Lowe canned five treys in the opening nine minutes of the game, but left shortly thereafter with an ankle injury. Coincidently, Downs, who was matched up defensively against Lowe for most of the night, had already been forced out of the game after taking a scary spill in the first half. Both wounded players returned to give their teams a lift in the second half.
The Highlanders put together a 14-2 run in the first half to go up 25-12. They settled for a 43-34 halftime advantage as Eureka was handcuffed by 15 first half turnovers. The Red Devils overcame those mistakes by shooting a blazing 65 percent (17-for-26) in the second half and 59 percent (27-46) for the game. They also made 20 out of 26 at the line for a 77 percent clip.
Eureka began the second half by scoring the first seven points. Byard eventually tied the game at 45 on a jumper with 15:30 remaining. She later tied the game again at 48, but the Red Devils were held to just two points over the next five minutes, allowing MacMurray to retake control.
Crum made 11-of-17 field goal attempts, 6-of-10 from long range and 6-of-6 at the line. She is the fourth different Red Devil to score at least 30 points in Eureka's last 21 games dating back to last season. Earlier this season, Byard put in 33 points to match Jami Larson's scoring effort in December of 1992. The last 34-point game for EC would date back even farther.
Her historic offensive night should not overshadow several other fantastic individual performances and an even better team effort. Eureka had not scored 80 points in a game since putting 83 on the board against Lincoln Christian on December 9, 2004, a span of 109 games. Eureka's 59 percent field goal shooting is the highest since a 67 percent effort versus Rockford on January 25, 2003, a span of 152 contests.
Byard connected on 8-of-9 field goal attempts for 22 points, her fourth game of at least 20 points this season. Snopek dished out a career-high eight assists, while also chipping in eight points and six rebounds. Chantaivia Knight (Normal, Ill./University) posted her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards. Eureka out-rebounded MacMurray on the night 41-26. The Red Devils ended a six-game losing streak by defeating the Highlanders for the ninth time in a row.
Lowe led MacMurray with 24 points. Taylor Vollmer added 20 to go with six rebounds and six steals. Of the Highlanders' 77 points, 30 came off EC turnovers. They shot 38 percent (27-71).
Eureka will return to the court for the final home game of the month, Saturday, January 24 at 1:00 pm versus Westminster College. The Blue Jays won their first five SLIAC games, but have slipped back to the pack with two straight losses. Westminster swept the season series last season by scores of 62-52 and 61-55. Eureka is now tied for sixth place in the league standings with three other squads.
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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
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