Red Devils stumble in setback against Iowa Wesleyan

MOUNT PLEASANT, lowa – Playing in his first contest in a Red Devil uniform, freshman transfer Shea Feehan (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame [Lewis]) erupted for 25 points off the bench, while brotherSam Feehan (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame [Illinois Central]) chipped in 17 points, but the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers pulled away from Eureka in the second half to take a 91-79 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory, Saturday afternoon inside Ruble Arena.

The loss drops the Red Devils to 5-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Eureka is still in search of their first road victory of the season.

Eureka sprinted out to a 12-4 lead and held the Tigers without a field goal until the 13:33 mark in the first half. EC never trailed throughout the bulk of the first 20 minutes, building a 26-17 advantage with 7:07 remaining in the first half.

Trailing by four with 1:34 until halftime, back-to-back three-point field goals by the Tigers gave the host their first lead of the contest. The Tigers were able to hold on to that lead heading into the locker with a narrow 42-39 advantage.

The host maintained a slight lead and never trailed over the final half of play, knocking down key shots when the Red Devils made runs. Three times Eureka tied the contest, only for the Tigers to answer on the ensuing position.

Iowa Wesleyan's lead ballooned to double-digits midway through the final half of play and held off the final Eureka run that sliced the deficit to four, 77-73, with 5:55 remaining in the game. IWU used a 6-0 run to regain a ten-point, 83-73 edge and was able to control the contest until the final buzzer sounded.

All five starters for Iowa Wesleyan scored in double figures, with Chris Fowler pacing the offense with 22 points. Fowler grabbed 12 rebounds to tally a double-double and dished seven of the Tiger's 15 assists. Steven Archibald added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the host, giving the Tigers a pair of player with double-doubles.

Eureka College Statistics, Leaders
Field Goal Percentage -.359 (28-78)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .321 (9-28)
Free Throw Percentage - .737 (14-19)
Shea Feehan (25 points, 2 rebounds)
Sam Feehan (17 points, 4 rebounds)
Greg Kent (8 points, 6 rebounds)

Iowa Wesleyan University Statistics, Leaders
Field Goal Percentage - .465 (33-71)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .450 (9-20)
Free Throw Percentage - .941 (16-17)
Fowler (22 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists)
Steven Archibald (17 points, 11 rebounds)
Mitch Drey (21 points, 5 rebounds)

What's Next?
Eureka will continue their conference road swing on Wednesday with an 8 p.m. matchup in St. Louis, Mo. against the Fontbonne Griffins.