Late Push Falls Short as Fontbonne Holds off Eureka, 81-76
ST. LOUIS, MO – The Eureka men's basketball team's late game comeback came up just short against Fontbonne on Wednesday as the Red Devils fell 81-76.
Despite trailing for a majority of the game, Eureka competed for the entirety of the contest. Fontbonne ended the first half with a 9-2 scoring run, which sent them into the locker rooms up 47-39. Eureka quickly cut the Griffins' lead back down to a point when Peewee Brown converted a layup with 14 minutes remaining. Fontbonne managed to rebuild their lead shortly after, leading by as many as 15 points when Cheikh Thiam knocked down a pair of free throws with 5 minutes left to play. The Red Devils battled back though. Freshman Jonah Lauff provided a spark off the bench and scored a quick 8 points before the Griffins could answer, cutting down Fontbonne's lead to create a single-possession ball game.
It proved to be too little too late though, as the Griffins sunk their free throws in the dying seconds of the game to seal their victory. The Griffins showcased impressive shooting accuracy throughout the game, boasting a 50.0% field goal percentage compared to the Red Devils' 39.3%. But the largest difference on the night was Fontbonne's ability to score points in transition, accumulating 16 fastbreak points in contrast to Eureka's 2.
Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) led the scoring for Eureka, tallying a team-high 19 points and securing 7 rebounds. Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) and Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) also posted double-digit figures. Brown notched 12 points while also leading the team's effort on the glass with 8 boards. Carter tallied 11 points, going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Jonah Lauff (Pana, Ill./Pana) and Dylan Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View) added significant contributions for the Red Devils off the bench. Lauff finished the game with 13 points, going 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range. Logsdon recorded 10 on top of picking up 4 boards, 3 assists and a steal.
Ethan Chartrand had a standout night for the Griffins, putting up 26 points. Brent Wagner and Charles Nelson joined him in the double-digits: Wagner added 16 points and Nelson notched 11. Adam Painter played a key part as well, securing 12 rebounds for the home team.
Eureka (7-15, 5-10 SLIAC) will return home for another conference contest against Westminster (4-18, 4-11 SLIAC) on Saturday at 3:00 PM CST inside of the Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center. The Blue Jays managed to edge out the Red Devils earlier this season, winning 84-81 at their place. With both teams vying for a playoff spot, the Red Devils will hope for the support of a home crowd to pick up an important win.