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For Immediate Releaseeureka, illinois
February 14, 2009
Eureka Pink Zone overtaken by Saints' Valentine's Day
Lindsey Crum (Washington, Ill./HS) converted 5-of-8 three-point attempts for 22 points, her fifth game of 20 points over the last 10 outings, but Eureka College could not put an end to the NCAA record conference winning streak of Maryville University. The Saints claimed their 89th consecutive St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory, 75-56 in Eureka over the Red Devils.
The game was a matchup of the top two squads in the league in field goal percentage defense. Although Eureka (3-19, 2-12) was able to extend its lead by shooting 41 percent (21-for-51) on the day compared to 34 percent (27-79) for Maryville (17-5, 13-0 SLIAC), the Saints' 45 points off turnovers crippled any chances the Red Devils had at the upset.
Maryville scored the first 10 points of the game and went on to hold EC to nine points over the opening 15 minutes while increasing the margin to 21. Eureka put 12 points on the board over the final 4:11. A 9-3 spurt got the Red Devils to within 33-18, but Kim Douglas hit back-to-back three-pointers for the Saints to keep Eureka at bay. Lauren Snopek (Metamora, Ill./HS), who led all players with nine first half points for the Maroon and Gold, hit a trey in the waning moments to set the halftime score at 41-21.
Eureka's fortunes improved in the second half, shooting 52 percent from the field and outscoring Maryville 35-34. The Red Devils began the frame by netting the first five points. Snopek hit a pair of jumpers in the opening two minutes to bring EC within 41-26. That would be as close as the Red Devils could get, however, as the Saints compiled a 24-3 run to burst out to their largest lead of the game.
That did not stop Eureka from fighting until the bitter end. The Red Devils finished the game on a 27-10 rally over the final 10:27. Crum converted an old fashioned three-point play at the beginning, then dropped in three conventional treys later.
The Red Devils out-rebounded their fourth straight opponent, this time by a comfortable 51-38 total. Chantaivia Knight (Normal, Ill./University) grabbed a game-high eight boards and Lisa Byard (Morton, Ill./HS) had seven. All eight Red Devils that played recorded at least three rebounds.
Crum added five boards and four assists to her 22 points. Snopek finished with 13 points and three assists. Byard tallied 12 points giving her double figures in 12 out of her last 13 games.
Sara Wemlinger paced Maryville with 14 points and four steals. The Saints' bench accounted for 36 points and 27 rebounds. With the win, Maryville clinched the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the SLIAC Tournament.
Eureka's next game will be at Lincoln Christian College on Thursday, February 19 at 6:00 pm. The Red Devils silenced the Angels 62-45 in the first meeting on February 12.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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