Balanced offensive attack paces Eureka past Greenville

EUREKA, Ill. – Six Eureka College women's basketball players scored in double figures, led by junior forward Michaela Balducci (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) with 15, on the way to a 75-56 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Greenville College, Wednesday evening inside the Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center.

The Red Devils improve to 5-11 overall and 4-5 in league action, while Greenville falls to 11-5 overall and 7-2 in the SLIAC.

Greenville's Claire Schmitt scored the opening basket, but the Red Devils quickly answered with a 10-point burst to take control of the contest and never look back. Eureka built a comfortable 25-12 lead at the end of quarter one.

The Red Devils knocked down five three-point field goals in the first half, with three of them coming from freshman guard Samantha Sarnes (Havana, Ill./Havana). Sarnes, who was one of the six EC women to tally double figures, scored all of her eleven points in the first half of play.

Eureka continued to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the second half of play, outscoring Greenville 14-10 and 27-21 over the final two quarters.

The Panthers finished the contest 20-of-50 (.400) from the field and just 3-of-15 (.200) from the three-point line. GC outrebounded the Red Devils by a narrow 38-36 margin. Eureka forced 28 Greenville turnovers and turned that into 28 points.

Freshman forward Lexi Dooley (Sutter, Ill./Warsaw) poured in a season-high 11 points, while a trio of Red Devils, senior guard Emily Camden (Green Valley, Ill./Midwest Central), junior guard Kelsey Forsythe (Pleasant Plains, Ill./Pleasant Plains [Lincolnland CC]) and sophomore guard Kerrigan Dura (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield), supplied ten points apiece. The point total is a career-high for Dura and matches Forsythe's season-high.

GC's Coley Baker led the visitor's charge with 18 points and five blocks.

What's Next?
The Red Devils will hit the road Saturday and head to Elsah, Ill. for a 1 p.m. scheduled matchup against the Principia Panthers.