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For Immediate ReleaseWomen's Basketball -- Dec. 27, 2011
Red Devils Knock Off Concordia in Vegas, 63-52
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Eureka College sophomore guard and national scoring leader Caty Eeten (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.) poured in a game-high 30 points, while junior newcomer Jay Stewart (Taylorville, Ill./Taylorville H.S./Illinois State) came off the bench to share game-high honors with 12 rebounds, leading the Red Devils to a 63-52 victory over Concordia (Wis.) in the opening game of the D3Hoops.com Classic at South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
Eureka (7-1) started strong, scoring the first four points of the game before quickly building a double-digit lead (17-7) on Stewart's basket with 12:06 to play before halftime. The Red Devils led by as many as 12 points in the first half on two different occasions, as Eeten's jumper pushed EC to a 30-18 advantage at the 4:26 mark. The Falcons (7-4) closed the half of a 7-3 run to trail at intermission, 33-25.
Concordia scored eight straight in the first 2-minutes, 29-seconds after halftime to force a 33-33 tie. The two squads also played to a 37-37 tie with 14:10 remaining before Eureka ripped off a 9-1 run behind four points from Eeten and a 3-pointer from junior guard Kourtney Ewald (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa H.S./IVCC) for a 46-37 cushion with 11:54 left in regulation. The Falcons were able to climb back within four points, 46-42, after Katie Luethe's free throws capped a quick 5-0 burst.
The Red Devils went on to maintain a two-possession lead for the remainder of the contest, closing the contest behind a 21-10 run over the final 10:06 to earn their seventh victory of the season. The surge to close the game, highlighted by seven points from Eeten, allowed the EC lead to swell to 12 points on four different occasions.
Eureka never trailed on Tuesday, the third straight outing in which the Red Devils haven't fallen behind in a contest. Senior forward and reigning St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week Khassandrae Brown (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria H.S./Kankakee) scored 10 points to give the Red Devils two starters to score in double-figures. Stewart played a career-high 33 minutes and collected 10 of her 12 boards at the defensive end.
The Red Devils outrebounded Concordia, 46-42, improving Eureka's record to 15-2 under second-year head coach Taren Martin when outrebounding the opposition. Tuesday's victory improved Martin's career record at EC to 16-16 and moved her into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Eureka women's basketball wins list. The victory also improved EC to 3-0 against Northern Athletics Conference members this season.
Luethe scored 17 points and gathered 12 rebounds to pace the Falcons. Kendall Kerns also chipped in with a double-double for Concordia with 12 points and 10 boards. The Falcons were limited to 26.1 percent shooting from the field and had their three-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
The 7-1 start for the Red Devils remains Eureka's best start to a season in program history. Eureka will continue play in Las Vegas at the D3Hoops.com Classic on Thursday against Simpson. Tip-off at South Point Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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