Red Devils Improve to 5-2, Dispatch Calvary, 88-58
EUREKA — Calvary Bible kept it competitive for a half, but the Eureka women's basketball team found its groove after halftime at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena Thursday night.
The result was an 88-58 victory that moved the Red Devils to 5-2 on the season.
Eureka's Olivia Falls (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) notched a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds. The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week put away 11 of 13 free throws, shot 6-for-8 from the field and added three assists along the way. It was her second most points scored of the season and the most free throws she's ever made in a single game in her career.
She was one of five Red Devils to reach double figures on the night. Freshman Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Ill./Flanagan-Cornel) followed with 18 points while making a trio of 3-pointers off the bench.
Ashley Harfst (Saunemin, Ill./Pontiac) posted 13 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. She also reached the 500 career rebound plateau.
Marissa Murphy (Canton, Ill./Canton) contributed 13 points, too, and was one of three EC players to knock down three 3s on the night.
Ja'Keesha Hawkins (Peoria, Ill./Peoria) notched 10 points, gathered five boards and led the team with four steals, tying a career high. She now has a league-leading 21 on the season.
Kennedy Dura (Edwards, Ill./Brimfield), meanwhile, tallied nine points on three made 3s and distributed five assists to move her career total to 400. She's now 15 away from program record holder Molly Hardesty's 415.
Leading by two points after the first quarter and 11 at half, Eureka extended the lead to 30 points with a 28-point explosion in the third quarter.
The Red Devils shot 43.8 percent in the third frame and 56.3 percent in the fourth to close it out strong. By game's end, they'd forced 28 turnovers, scoring 29 points off 19 takeaways. EC also outscored Calvary 40-26 in the paint and had 31 points off the bench to the visitors' 31-8.
EC's win came after Wednesday's 84-55 SLIAC season-opening road win over Blackburn. Eureka (5-2, 1-0 SLIAC) will continue league play on Saturday at Principia (0-4, 0-1 SLIAC). Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
