Red Devils Fall Short at Mississippi University for Women
COLUMBUS, MS. – The Eureka women's basketball team couldn't slow down a hot Mississippi University for Women's offense on Saturday, falling 89-76.
The Owls came into the game fresh off an impressive 34-point victory at home against Blackburn on Thursday, where they managed to put up 93 points. They continued to knock down shots on Saturday, ending the game 28-for-63 from the field.
Brin Hultz led the Red Devils offense with a season-high 26 points. Ashley Wilcox (Hudson, Ill./Normal West) followed with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Josie Ness (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich) topped the stat sheet in the paint, grabbing 13 rebounds and tallying 2 blocks. Ness also contributed 9 points to Eureka's score.
It was a real team effort for the maroon and gold though, as several players found their way onto the scoreboard. Makayla Rosenbery (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour) added 8 points, and Chloe Smith (Sullivan, Ill./Sullivan) added 5. Lainey Moore (Sullivan, Ill./Sullivan) and Katie Haffner (Lake Camelot, Ill./Illini Bluffs) came off the bench to provide 7 points apiece as well.
Conley Langford led the way for the Owls, posting a team-high 36 points and 22 rebounds. Zoe Essary followed with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, along with a game-high five assists. Claire Leak added 14 points for the Owls.
The Red Devils performed well in the first half, heading into halftime trailing by a single possession, 43-41. The Owls came out strong in the 3rd quarter though, going on an 11-2 scoring run, which the Red Devils were unable to recover from.
Still, Eureka fought hard and continued to show improvement. Eureka forced MUW to turnover the ball 18 times and came away with 17 fastbreak points. But, hard work in the paint made the difference for the Owls, who came away with 43 rebounds and 42 points in the paint compared to EC's 40 boards and 30 points in the paint.
The Red Devils (4-9, 2-4 SLIAC) will return to their home court inside Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center to host Fontbonne (1-12, 1-5 SLIAC) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.