Red Devils Punch Ticket to SLIAC Semifinals with Convincing Win Over MUW

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka men's basketball team made a strong statement in the SLIAC Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday night, defeating MUW 76-59 to extend their winning streak to four games.

MUW opened the game with a layup by Cam Smith at the 18:48 mark, but Eureka quickly responded as Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual) answered with a layup of his own. Brown contributed eight first-half points, helping the Red Devils stay within striking distance early. The Owls briefly extended their lead behind a strong sequence from Dariun Doss, who converted an offensive rebound into a three-point play at 16:20. However, Eureka soon took control, fueled by a late 14-4 run. Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) capped the surge with a 3-pointer at 3:37, sending the Red Devils into halftime with a 38-28 advantage.

Eureka maintained their momentum in the second half, outscoring MUW 38-31 to secure the victory. Max Richardson (LaHarpe, Ill./Illini West) delivered the highlight of the night with a transition dunk at the 8:53 mark, pushing the Red Devils' lead to a game-high 19 points and energizing the home crowd. The Owls made a late push, cutting the deficit to eight with 2:23 remaining, but Eureka responded with a dominant 9-0 closing run to put the game away and finish out a dominant 76-59 victory.

GAME NOTES

• The win marked Head Coach Chip Wilde's seventh career SLIAC Tournament victory.
• Peewee Brown led Eureka with 23 points, shooting 6-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, while also tallying three steals.
• Emaryon Byrd (Peoria, Ill./Manual) recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
• Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) contributed 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and added a steal.
• Ben Carter finished with 10 points, making three of his eight attempts from the field and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
• Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington) added seven points and secured five rebounds.

UP NEXT

Eureka advances to the SLIAC Tournament semifinals, where they will face top-seeded Greenville on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Greenville, Ill. The Red Devils will look to avenge two regular season losses to Greenville, falling 119-114 at home and 124-114 on the road.