Baer Posts 10th Double-Double in Loss to Spalding
EUREKA, IL. – The Eureka men's basketball team fell 59-53 against Spalding on Saturday. The Golden Eagles defeated the Red Devils by 15 the first time they met this season back on December 9th. Eureka closed the gap at home on Saturday but came up a little short in another tightly-contested matchup.
The first half showcased strong defensive efforts for both teams. Spalding managed to maintain a small lead throughout most of the half, but Eureka remained resilient, knocking down key shots and coming up with a couple big stops to keep the game well within reach. The Red Devils would ultimately head into the locker rooms at halftime down 5 after Spalding's Devonte Campbell extended their lead with a driving layup and Andre Crawford closed the half with a made jumper.
Eureka quickly battled back in the second half, evening the game up at 32-32 within 3 minutes of stepping back on the court. A 19-6 scoring run to start the half propelled the Red Devils to a six-point lead at 42-36. But Spalding refused to let the game get out of hand, gradually chipping away at Eureka's lead and seizing control of the game in its final stages.
Eureka forward Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) posted his tenth double-double of the season, leading the team in points with 17 and dominating in the paint with a remarkable 16 rebounds.
Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) joined Baer in double-digit scoring, posting 14 points of his own. Brown capitalized on six of seven attempts from the free throw line. He also showcased his defensive talents, tallying a team-high three steals for the maroon and gold.
Noah Persich (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) and Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) also had large impacts on the game. Persich sunk three of five attempts from beyond the arc, and Carter added 7 points to EC's tally.
Spalding's Devonte McCampbell and Jacoby Johnson were crucial to the Golden Eagles' victory. McCampbell scored 13 points and picked up 9 rebounds. Johnson scored 11 points, going 5-11 from the field. Kameron Jones added another 11 points for Spalding off the bench, knocking down three of his five attempts from outside the perimeter.
Next up, Eureka (5-14, 3-9 SLIAC) will host Lyon College (13-5, 10-2 SLIAC) on Thursday at 7:30 PM CST.
