Eureka Cruises Past Blackburn, 102-53
EUREKA, Ill. – Eureka College senior guard Hayley Reneau (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./Illinois Central) led five Red Devils in double figures with 26 points, sophomore Kennedy Dura (Edwards, Ill./Brimfield H.S.) added 18 points and 12 assists and freshman Abby Hahn (Kinmundy, Ill./South Central H.S.) logged career highs of 11 points and 11 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double, leading EC to a 102-53 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Blackburn, Saturday afternoon at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena.
The win was Eureka's 10th in a row against SLIAC opponents, tied for the longest streak in program history. Eureka maintained its share of first place in the league standings with Greenville with identical 10-1 SLIAC records.
The Red Devils used a 12-0 barrage midway through the first quarter to break a tied score and grab a 20-8 cushion at the 2:09 mark of the first quarter. EC led 28-10 at the end of the frame.
A layup from Dura in the closing seconds of the first half gave the Red Devils their biggest advantage of the first 20 minutes, 55-26, a margin that held up as the halftime score.
Limited to only seven available players, EC extended the lead to 83-43 after three quarters. A 3-pointer from Ellie Broyles (Champaign, Ill./Centennial H.S.) allowed the lead to reach 92-43 with 6:53 left in the game.
Samantha Sarnes (Havana, Ill./Havana H.S.) scored 21 points in her first collegiate start. Dura tallied 18 and Ashley Harfst (Saunemin, Ill./Pontiac H.S.) poured in 14 points. Lexi Dooley (Sutter, Ill./Warsaw H.S.) dominated on the glass for the second consecutive outing, collecting 19 rebounds to go along with nine points. Hahn's double-double came in a career-high 25 minutes of action.
Jenna Dudra scored 15 points for Blackburn. Brianna Henke (13), Savannah Kruse (10) and Durda (10) reached double figures in rebounding, as the Beavers outrebounded the hosts 61-53.
The first-place Red Devils will visit Webster on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in St. Louis, Mo.
