Maryville Holds off Red Devils, 82-67
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Eureka men's basketball team gave NCAA Division II Maryville a run for its money on New Year's Eve.
The Red Devils kept it close until the Saints gained control late and pulled away for an 82-67 non-conference victory.
It was Eureka's last non-conference game of the 2022-23 season before St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play begins.
Austyn Ellison (Hudson, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) led the Red Devils with 17 points, along with three rebounds, an assist and a steal, he and was one of five EC players to reach double figures.
Charlie McKinty (Elmwood, Ill./Elmwood/Illinois College) tied his season high with 13 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Big men Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) and Logan Dorethy (Hamilton, Ill./West Hancock/Hannibal-LaGrange) each had 10 points. Baer recorded a double-double, pulling down 12 rebounds to go with his scoring output. Dorethy was one rebound short of a double-double, grabbing nine boards and dishing three assists. Each big man also had a block.
Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) also added 10 points, reaching double figures for the first time as a Red Devil. Brown also had three assists.
Andrew Gonzalez (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) contributed seven points, two rebounds and a steal.
The home team led by as many as 15 in the first half, but Eureka closed the half strong and whittled the deficit to five heading into the break.
McKinty knocked down a 3 and made a layup on an assist by Dorethy to start the half to tie it up and set the stage for a much closer second half.
A block and jumper by Gonzalez tied the game with less than 8 1/2 minutes left, but it ended up being the last tie of the game. The Saints rallied back with a 9-0 run to regain control on their home court.
Maryville's Ben Palacios scored a game-high 20 points, while Kelvin Sims had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Colin Schuler added 11 points.
On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Eureka (2-9) will welcome Greenville (1-10) to Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center for a highly-anticipated SLIAC opener at the Reagan.