Eureka Grinds Out Home-Opening Win Over Monmouth, 63-56
EUREKA – The Eureka men's basketball team grinded out a 63-56 victory over Monmouth and protected its home court in the first home game of the year at Reagan Athletic Complex on Friday.
Eureka's Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) recorded a double-double of 19 points and 19 rebounds to lead all scorers and rebounders.
The senior big man shot 8-of-15 from the floor, had two assists and made two blocks, and was one of four Red Devils to reach double figures in the win. It was his fifth time recording 19 rebounds or more in a game in the past two seasons.
Noah Persich (Peoria, Ill./Metamora/Parkland) followed with 16 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal and made a pair of 3-pointers.
Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Peoria Manual/Lincoln) added 11 points, along with a team-high four assists and three steals, and Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) shot 4-for-6 and contributed 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a block.
The Red Devils and the Fighting Scots opened the night with an extremely even first half. The home team started off strong, going on a 12-0 run to take a 14-2 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes. The maroon and gold held the visitors to single digits for nearly 11 minutes.
However, the Fighting Scots fought their way back into the game and took a three-point advantage into halftime. After 20 minutes, Eureka and Monmouth had nearly identical field-goal percentages (34.5%-34.3%), 3-point percentages (both 28.6%) and free-throw percentage (80%-75%).
The Red Devils gradually gained the upper hand in a second-half chess match that didn't turn the Red Devils' way until fairly late in the game.
Eureka stayed on the Fighting Scots' heels and never trailed by more than five, but it didn't wrestle the lead away until Carter knocked down a 3-pointer off an assist by Brown with 5:11 remaining.
With 3:23 left, a Baer layup on an assist by Jalen Johnson (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls/Sauk Valley) out of a timeout made it 53-49. Eureka would extend the lead to five with 2:14 left, but Monmouth answered with a 3 by David Williams to bring it back to two.
Persich then scored EC's next four points, hitting a jumper and a pair of free throws with less than a minute to play to give the Red Devils a six-point lead.
Williams hit another 3 to make it a three-point lead on the next possession, but the Red Devils kept their poise, withstood the Fighting Scots' press and sealed the win.
Friday night's win moved Eureka head coach Chip Wilde to within one win of 200 in his 17 years at the helm of the program.
The Red Devils (1-1) will vie for their second win of the weekend on Sunday when they host Cornell (0-1) at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena at 3 p.m.
