Road Preview: Eureka Men’s Basketball at Cornell
EUREKA – The Eureka men's basketball team is headed on the road for one more non-conference test before St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play finally begins.
On Monday at 7 p.m., the Red Devils will take on Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It's the team's third straight away game and fourth non-conference game of the season.
Setting the Scene
The Red Devils (2-1) are coming off their first loss of the season, a 76-68 defeat at Illinois College. The team trailed by as many as 19 points on the road against a tough Blueboys squad, but it managed to outscore IC 35-29 in the second half and bring the game back to single digits.
Three games into the season, the Red Devils are averaging 79.9 points per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 27.4 percent from 3-point range and 71.9 percent from the free-throw line. They're pulling down 37 rebounds per game, averaging 10.7 assists, 7.7 steals, 3.3 blocks and 14 turnovers per game.
Cornell enters with a 2-3 record, with both wins coming over common opponent Iowa Wesleyan. (The Rams won 75-51 on the road and 78-56 at home.) The team lost to EC's most recent opponent, Illinois College, in an 85-79 game last Sunday, and also fell to Wartburg 85-74 and, mostly recently, to Coe College, 98-60.
The Rams are averaging 73.2 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting from the field, .357 percent from outside and 67 percent from the line. They've turned the ball over 13.6 times per game, distributed 12 assists per game and outrebounded opponents by nearly 6.5 boards per game.
Stat Leaders
Senior guards Ian Milsteadt and Chris Daniels have packed a powerful 1-2 scoring punch this season. Through the first three games, they're averaging 26.3 and 23.3 points per game, respectively, while shooting 50 and 45 percent from the floor. Milsteadt is also leading the team in 3-point shooting (45.8 percent) and rebounding (8.7).
Senior big man Jaedon Banks is pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game, leading the team in blocks (2 per game) and has made 7 of 8 free throws. Daniels is leading the team in assists per game with 2.7, followed by junior point guard Jalen Hosea and Milsteadt at 1.7. Hosea and Banks are averaging 7.3 and 6.3 points, respectively.
Cornell's Cooper Kablea leads the team in scoring with 21.2 points per game. The 6-foot-5 senior forward has been the team's leading scorer in four of five games, including dropping a season-high 27 in an 85-79 loss at Illinois College. Junior forward Marcus Quirk is averaging a double-double of 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per night, while Jordan Magnani is adding 11.4 points per game and leading the team with 18 assists on the season. Kabela and Quirk are also the team's outside threats, shooting 54.2 percent and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, respectively.
History/Trends
The Red Devils and Rams have only met once in the programs' respective histories. On Feb. 17, 1992, Eureka topped Cornell 67-72 at the Reagan Center. Monday will be the first time Cornell has hosted the Red Devils.
Coming Up
After Monday, the Red Devils have Tuesday to prepare for their SLIAC opener against Blackburn on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Beavers opened SLIAC play with an 81-61 win over Iowa Wesleyan on Saturday.