Red Devils Fend Off Blackburn on Road, 69-63

CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka women's basketball team fended Blackburn on the road on Tuesday to come away with a 69-63 victory.

It was the team's second win in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

Senior Olivia Falls (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) tallied a team-high 13 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double. She also had two assists and a steal.

Junior Sydney Hannam (Canton, Ill./Canton/Spoon River) followed with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from distance. She also had two steals and an assist.

Josie Ness (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich) notched nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

Savanah Moore (Clinton, Ill./Mt. Pulaski/MacMurray) added eight points and three assists, while Kennedy Jackson (Peoria, Ill./Limestone/Carl Sandburg) and Shakaya Rogers (Hanover, Mich./Concord/Glen Oaks) each contributed seven.

Abby Stotler (Wyoming, Ill./Stark County) added six points and six rebounds, along with a team-high five assists and one steal.

The Red Devils controlled most of the game, but the Beavers were always hanging around within striking distance. Eureka took an 18-13 lead into the second quarter and extended it 11 points within a few minutes. Blackburn trimmed the lead down to six at halftime.

A 3-point play by Blackburn's Aryanna Harris with less than three minutes into the second half made it a one-point game, but the Red Devils responded with an 8-0 run and closed the frame strong.  

A free throw and bucket in the last two minutes by Falls made it 48-40. Then, senior Maddy LaGassa (Roseville, Mich./Roseville/Glen Oaks) stepped up and drilled a triple from the corner to extend the lead to 11 with 22 seconds left in the quarter.

The Beavers outscored the Red Devils 23-18 in the fourth quarter, but the home team never got closer than five points. The Red Devils put away enough free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Eureka outshot Blackburn 42.4 percent to 33.3 percent from the field, and 40 percent 15.8 percent from the 3-point line. The Red Devils outrebounded the Beavers 45-36 and dished 14 assists to the Beavers' nine.

Eureka's rescheduled game at Principia on Thursday has been postponed due to inclement weather. A makeup date is yet to be determined.

As of now, the Red Devils (6-10, 2-4 SLIAC) are scheduled to next host Spalding (7-9, 3-2 SLIAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m.