Hot Start Lifts Eureka to 71-64 Win Over Fontbonne 

EUREKA, IL. – The Eureka men's basketball team took down Fontbonne by a score of 71-64 on Wednesday night. 

Standout performances from Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) and Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) led the way for the maroon and gold. Carter posted a career-high 26 points, going 6-for-9 from three. He also contributed 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block to the Red Devil's efforts. Senior big-man, Baer, picked up his seventh double-double this season, recording 24 points and 12 rebounds. 

Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) added 9 points, along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Sam DeJesus (Delavan, Ill./Delavan) notched 8 points off the bench for Eureka, as well as 7 rebounds and an assist.  

The Griffins had three players finish in double-digits. Charles Nelson, Elijah Rice, and Cheikh Thiam recorded 15, 14, and 13 points, respectively. Rice and Thiam both recorded double-doubles. Rice came away with 10 boards and Thiam pulled down 13. 

The Red Devils got off to a strong start at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center. After opening the game 4-4, Eureka went on a 32-12 scoring run, which featured a hot-handed Ben Carter burying 5-out-of-5 attempts from behind the arc. The Griffins were able to stop the bleeding but headed into halftime down 44-28. 

Fontbonne closed the gap in the second half but was unable to ever recover the lead. Eureka's advantage never shrank below seven, as the Red Devils fought to hold off a scrappy Griffin's team.  

The seven-point victory could be a turning-point in the season for the Red Devils. They are just the second SLIAC team this season to take down Fontbonne, who currently sits in second place. The only other team to accomplish this feat so far was first-place Lyon. 

Eureka will battle for a second straight SLIAC win on Saturday when the Red Devils (4-10, 2-5 SLIAC) take on Westminster (1-12, 1-5 SLIAC) on the road.