Webster Rallies Past Eureka Late, 91-87

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. – The Eureka women's basketball team nearly knocked off Webster on its home floor on Wednesday, but the Gorloks rallied late and secured a 91-87 win.

The Red Devils held the lead for nearly the whole game, but they couldn't withstand a 59-point second-half effort from the home team.

Senior Ja'Keesha Hawkins (Peoria, Ill./Peoria) scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line to lead a balanced EC scoring night.

Olivia Falls (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) followed with 17 points while going 9-for-11 at the stripe.

Ashley Harfst (Saunemin, Ill./Pontiac), Whitney Bozarth (Normal, Ill./Normal West) and Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Ill./Flanagan-Cornel) all tallied 15 points apiece.

Harfst hauled in a team-high nine rebounds. Mitchell hit three of the Red Devils' six 3-pointers on the game.

The Red Devils built up the lead by playing aggressively and relentlessly attacking the basket. The team shot nearly 55 percent in the first half (17-for-31) and led by as many as 21 points in the first half. A Bozarth layup with three seconds left in the half made it 53-32.

In the second half, however, EC cooled off and were closer to 30 percent from the field. Webster, meanwhile, shot 11 of 18 in the third quarter and 11 of 21 in the fourth, finishing at 56 percent on the half and just under 50 on the game.

With a 28-point third frame, the Gorloks trimmed the lead to eight going into the fourth.

The Red Devils started the fourth quarter strong and worked the lead back out to 16 with 6:38 left. But after that, the Gorloks outscored EC 27-7 to storm ahead at the end.

Naomi Johnson and Addison Beussink scored a team-high 18 points apiece for the Gorloks. Julie Baudendistel followed with 17, while Jaysea Morgan and Lauryn Freeman each had 16.

The Red Devils (13-11, 9-8 SLIAC) will conclude the 2019-20 season with Senior Day on Saturday against Greenville (15-9, 12-5 SLIAC) at 1 p.m.