Red Devils’ Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Spalding, 81-78
EUREKA – The Eureka men's basketball team nearly came all the way back after facing a steep deficit against Spalding on Saturday.
The Red Devils used a stifling press and a frenzied sense of urgency in the last nine minutes of the game to whittle a 27-point lead to three.
Austyn Ellison's (Hudson, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) pull-up 3-pointer near the top of the key made it 81-78 with less than 28 seconds to play.
After that, Eureka successfully applied their trap and forced a turnover. The Red Devils called timeout with 8.9 seconds left to set up a final play.
Ellison dribbled around two screens and looked for Charlie McKinty (Elmwood, Ill./Elmwood/Illinois College) on the right elbow, but he was covered. He then turned and passed it off to Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) on the left side. Brown took a dribble towards the corner and went up for 3 with two hands in his face, but it was short, ending EC's comeback bid.
The loss was Eureka's first in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play following a 3-0 start.
Over the last nine minutes of the game, EC outscored Spalding 41-17 and forced 11 turnovers. The team just took too long to come alive.
The Red Devils got off to a slow start in both halves. In the first half, Spalding led by double-digits before Eureka came back and trimmed the lead to five at halftime.
In the second half, Spalding gradually pulled away from the Red Devils until the home team came roaring back.
Brown finished with a team-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 11-of-12 shooting at the free-throw line. He also had five steals, four rebounds and an assist.
Ellison followed with 22 points while going 8-for-15 from the field, hitting four 3-pointers, dishing five assists and recorded two steals and two rebounds.
McKinty added 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. He hit two 3-pointers, while Noah Persich (Peoria, Ill./Metamora/Parkland) made one, swiped four steals and contributed eight points.
Spalding leading scorer Anthony Dillard notched 20 points while shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line. He was one rebound short of a double-double. Maxton Campbell and Jacoby Johnson added 15 and 20 points, respectively.
On Wednesday, Eureka (5-10, 3-1 SLIAC) will host Webster (6-8, 4-0 SLIAC), the only unbeaten team in SLIAC play remaining. Tip-off at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center is set for 7:30 p.m.
