Dooley, Sarnes Help Red Devils Rout MacMurray, 96-71
EUREKA, Ill. – Eureka College junior forward Lexi Dooley (Sutter, Ill./Warsaw H.S.) tied a single-game program record with 22 rebounds and junior guard Samantha Sarnes (Havana, Ill./Havana H.S.) poured in a career-high 26 points off the bench, leading the Red Devils to a 96-71 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over MacMurray, Wednesday night at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena.
The Red Devils improved to 13-5 overall and 9-1 in the league. Eureka has also won nine consecutive SLIAC games and kept their share of first place in the league standings.
Dooley's 22 rebounds equaled the single-game Eureka record held by Nicole Fisher, who hauled 22 boards against Blackburn on Dec. 5, 2007 and again versus Lincoln Christian on Feb. 26, 2008. Dooley's effort marked just the eighth 20-rebound game in program history.
Eureka trailed for 20 seconds Wednesday. Ashley Harfst's (Saunemin, Ill./Pontiac H.S.) layup less than two minutes into the action gave the hosts the lead for good and ignited a 31-13 EC surge to end the first quarter.
Hayley Reneau (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S.) scored from long range at the 4:44 mark of the second quarter to help the Red Devils take their largest lead of the first 20 minutes, 49-24. The advantage at halftime was 57-35.
Eureka claimed its widest margin when Ellie Broyles (Champaign, Ill./Centennial H.S.) connected from beyond the arc for an 81-46 cushion in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Reneau led all scorers with 28 points and went 17-for-19 from the foul line, three makes shy of tying Caty Eeten's single-game Eureka record of 20 free throws set against Greenville on Nov. 30, 2011. Sarnes tallied 26 on nine field goals and Kennedy Dura (Edwards, Ill./Brimfield H.S.) scored 15. Eureka hit a season-high 15 3-pointers, one short of its single-game program record of 16 set versus Blackburn on Jan. 17, 2015. The Red Devils also went 29-for-34 at the free throw line Wednesday.
Aleysia Mason-Pavia scored 13 points off the bench to lead the visitors. MC shot 35 percent from the floor.
Eureka will try to win its 10th consecutive SLIAC game Saturday at 1 p.m. against Blackburn at the Reagan Athletic Complex.
