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For Immediate ReleaseWomen's Basketball -- Feb. 18, 2012
Red Devils Fall at Westminster, 82-71
FULTON, Mo. – The Eureka College women’s basketball team saw its school-record 11-game win streak come to an end Saturday afternoon, as the Red Devils dropped an 82-71 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference decision at Westminster, Saturday night in Fulton, Mo.
The Blue Jays (20-4, 14-2 SLIAC) owned the advantage for a majority of the first half, taking the lead for good on Heather Letourneau’s 3-pointer for an 11-9 advantage with 14:42 to play. Westminster further applied the pressure with a 12-4 run midway through the half, turning a one-possession advantage into a double-digit cushion on a triple from Rachel Backes to lead 31-21 at the 5:46 mark.
Eureka (19-4, 12-3 SLIAC) responded with four unanswered points, but the Blue Jays ultimately were able to carry a 45-35 cushion into the locker room. Westminster enjoyed a solid shooting performance in the first half, connecting on 19 of its 34 shot attempts from the floor.
The Red Devils opened the second half by scoring eight of the first 11 points, trimming their deficit to 48-43 when junior guard Jay Stewart (Taylorville, Ill./Taylorville H.S./Illinois State) drilled a trey with 18:36 left. The deficit climbed again, but sophomore guard Caty Eeten (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.) pulled the Red Devils back to 52-47 on a layup at the 15:23 mark.
The Blue Jays were able to fend off the repeated rallies from the visitors and eventually pushed their lead back to double-digits when Liz Klaffenbach hit a jumper for a 62-51 lead with 12:02 left. Eureka cranked up its defensive effort from that point forward, holding the hosts without a field goal for the final 10:28 of the game, but Westminster went 14-for-15 from the free throw line during that time frame to maintain its advantage.
Senior forward Khassandrae Brown (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria H.S./Kankakee) scored a game-high 23 points to pace the Red Devils, followed by Eeten with 17 and Stewart with 14. Senior forward Lisa Byard (Morton, Ill./Morton H.S.) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Hannah Kloster came off the bench to share game-high scoring honors with Brown with 23 points. Backes (17) and Lutz (16) also scored in double-figures. The decision secured the outright SLIAC regular season title for the Blue Jays for the second consecutive season. Westminster will host the SLIAC Tournament beginning Friday in Fulton.
Eureka will bring its regular season schedule to a close this Tuesday night at MacMurray. Tip-off against the Highlanders in Jacksonville, Ill. is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Red Devils will play as either the #2 or #3 seed against Fontbonne in the semifinal round of the SLIAC Tournament Friday at 6 p.m. in Fulton, Mo.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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