Dura's Triple-Double Lifts Eureka at Westminster, 90-84
FULTON, Mo. -- Eureka College senior guard Kerrigan Dura (Edwards, Ill./Brimfield H.S.) went for 11 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to secure her second collegiate triple-double and send the visiting Red Devils to 90-84 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory in overtime at Westminster, Wednesday night in Fulton, Mo.
Dura now owns both triple-doubles on record in the 43-season history of Eureka women's basketball after registering 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the season opener at Knox on Nov. 15, 2017. She also finished the contest with 341 career assists to move in front of Sarah Deakin (2002-06) for third place on the Red Devils' career assists list.
Eureka (9-5, 5-1 SLIAC) outscored WC 15-9 in the overtime period to secure its fifth straight SLIAC win. The Red Devils trailed for just 13 seconds in the extra period, forcing a 77-77 tie on a Lexi Dooley (Sutter, Ill./Warsaw H.S.) layup and taking the lead for good when Hayley Reneau (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./Illinois Central) split two foul shots for a 78-77 edge with 3:13 to go. Westminster didn't have possession with a chance to tie over the last 2:27 and the final six-point margin was Eureka's widest of overtime.
The Red Devils didn't score for nearly three minutes to begin the game, but ultimately exploded to score 29 points in the first quarter. Abigail Hilton's (Moweaqua, Ill./Central A&M) layup at the 5:24 mark of the period gave the visitors a 9-8 cushion and triggered a 22-11 run that ended with the Red Devils in front, 29-19.
Westminster (6-7, 3-3 SLIAC) made up the deficit with a dominant second quarter, retaking a 35-34 advantage on Makayla Jackson's free throw with 4:43 to play in the half. The Blue Jays led by as many as seven in the quarter and carried a 44-40 lead into the locker room.
Eureka never led in the third quarter but did pull into two separate ties as late as the 1:04 mark, including a 60-60 deadlock on a Kennedy Dura (Edwards, Ill./Brimfield H.S.) bucket. The hosts led 62-61 at the end of the frame.
Reneau scored on the first possession of the fourth quarter to push Eureka in front 63-62 and the Red Devils didn't trail again in regulation. The cushion ballooned to as many as seven, 71-64, on Ashley Harfst's (Saunemin, Ill./Pontiac H.S.) free throw with 5:21 left before WC's Mirrakohl Johnson finally leveled the score at 75-75 with 1:26 remaining. Both teams had a chance to break the 75-75 tie in the game's final five seconds – Johnson missed two free throws for the hosts and Eureka was whistled for an offensive foul just before time expired on the ensuing possession to force overtime.
All five Eureka starters scored in double figures, led by a career-high 26 points from Harfst thanks to 9-for-12 shooting. Reneau tacked on 18 and Kennedy Dura had 16. Dooley tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
Westminster received 19 points from Kendahl Adams. The Blue Jays collected 35 offensive rebounds on their way to a 61-46 advantage on the glass, but were outscored by the Red Devils in the paint, 48-32.
The Red Devils have won back-to-back games over the Blue Jays in Fulton for the first time ever and have also won three in a row overall against WC for the first time in the series that dates back to 1995. Additionally, the victory was Eureka's first in overtime since downing Fontbonne, 67-65, on Feb. 13, 2016. It is also Eureka's first overtime road win since joining the SLIAC prior to the start of the 2006-07 season.
Eureka will return home Saturday in search of its sixth consecutive SLIAC win, a 1 p.m. tip-off against Iowa Wesleyan at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena.