Illinois College Edges Eureka, 77-74
EUREKA – It came down to the wire, but the Eureka women's basketball team came up short against Illinois College inside Christine Bonati Arena on New Year's Eve.
In the final seconds, the Lady Blues made one more play on each end and escaped with a 77-74 victory over the Red Devils.
Eureka's Sydney Hannam (Canton, Ill./Canton/Spoon River) racked up a career-high 29 points while shooting 7-for-13 from the field, knocking down four 3-pointers and going a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. She also contributed a pair of rebounds and a pair of assists, had one block, drew seven fouls and only had one turnover in 34 minutes.
Hannam's last pair of free throws came with 25.6 seconds remaining, and gave the Red Devils a one-point edge.
After a timeout, the Lady Blues fed the ball to 6-foot forward Ashlyn Wightman near the free throw line. She proceeded to drive to her right. Eureka's Abby Stotler stuck with her every step of the way until Wightman bumped into her near the edge of the lane. That gave Wightman enough space to spin back to the center and get a shot off that fell perfectly in to give IC a 75-74 advantage with 12.4 seconds left.
The Red Devils called their last time out to set up a response. The team looked to get the ball inside to Hannam, but Wightman batted away Savanah Moore's (Clinton, Ill./Mount Pulaski/MacMurray) entry pass and the Lade Blues recovered.
Forced to foul, Eureka sent Anna McKee to the line, and she knocked down both shots to give the visitors a three-point cushion. It ended up being enough.
Stotler finished with 16 points and pulled down six rebounds, tying with Moore for a team-high. She also hit a pair of 3s and hit 2 of 3 triples on the day.
Madi Jernigan (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Blackburn) tallied 12 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from the field. She also snagged a team-high three steals and had three assists and two steals. Shakaya Rogers (Hanover, Mich/Concord/Glen Oaks) dished a team-high five assists.
Wightman finished with 16 points for Illinois College. Fellow big Jalyn Patterson, meanwhile, had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Maya Smith notched 14 points, while Maya Williams had 11.
The Lady Blues ruled the first half, scoring the first 13 points of the game and leading by as many as 15. Eureka came back with a strong second quarter and worked its way back in the game. The Red Devils shot 53.3 percent from the field and made 5 of 8 tries from distance.
The home team whittled the lead down to four before halftime, then stayed hot in the third quarter. This time, Eureka hit 4 of 5 from long range and recorded a 53.8 field-goal percentage.
Midway through the third, a strong drive to the basket by Jernigan off an assist by Jurnee Flournoy (Decatur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur ) tied the game for the first time since it was 0-0.
A go-ahead 3-pointer by Hannam soon gave EC its first lead of the day at 41-38, and another Hannam trey that made it 51-47 with 1:19 left in the third gave the maroon and gold its largest lead of the game.
When Wightman tied the game for IC late, Hannam drew a foul on a 3 and sank all three foul shots. The Lady Blues, however, trimmed the lead to one with a layup by Maya Smith right before the buzzer.
The Lady Blues kept the pressure on in the fourth, scoring 12 of the first 17 points of the final frame and taking a double-digit lead.
The Red Devils had to dig deep to get back in it, but Hannam helped the team chip away at the lead by consistently getting to the line and making her shots until the game finally slipped away in the final 30 seconds.
On Wednesday, Eureka (3-8) will return to Reagan Athletic Complex to open St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against Greenville (7-3). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.