Knox Weathers Eureka Comeback, 74-66
EUREKA – The Eureka women's basketball team erased a 19-point deficit against Knox on Friday, but the Prairie Fire held off the Red Devils down the stretch to snag a 74-66 win.
Eureka's Sydney Hannam (Canton, Ill./Canton/Spoon River) tallied a game-high 23 points while making three 3-pointers and going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. She also contributed four boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks, and is now three points away from recording the 1,000th point of her collegiate career.
Madi Jernigan (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Blackburn) and Abby Stotler (Wyoming, Ill./Stark County/MacMurray) added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Stotler grabbed six rebounds and also had a block, a steal and an assist. Jernigan hit a pair of 3s, gathered five boards and had three steals, a block and an assist.
Knox got off to a strong start, building a 15-point lead in the first quarter. A layup by Kristin Herndon off an assist by Catessa Duran with 2:15 left until halftime made it 40-21.
Eureka's Savanah Moore (Clinton, Ill./Mount Pulaski/MacMurray) and Hannam each hit a 3 in a little over the span of a minute to pull Eureka within 14 going into the break. Hannam's buzzer-beating triple in the corner made it 41-27.
After halftime, Eureka delivered its most productive frame of the game, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and putting up 20 points to briefly come within single digits of the Prairie Fire.
Hannam's layup with 31 seconds left made it 55-47, but Knox answered before end of the quarter to make it 57-47 heading into the fourth.
The Red Devils scored the first eight points of the fourth to make it a two-point game.
Jernigan and Stotler knocked down back-to-back treys, then after a steal by Jernigan, Stotler went to the line and put away both shots to make it 57-55 with 7:50 remaining.
Another Red Devils triple by Hannam following a steal by Jernigan and an assist by Shakaya Rogers (Hanover, Mich./Concord/Glen Oaks) tied the game at 58-58 with less than seven minutes to go.
A Hannam jumper after a steal by Moore gave Eureka its first lead since the first three minutes of the game, but Knox's Catessa Duran came back with a go-ahead 3 on the other end.
Stotler tied the game at 61-61 after splitting a pair at the line with 5:18 left, but Knox took advantage of a couple of costly EC turnovers and outscored the maroon and gold 13-5 the rest of the way.
All five of Knox's starters reached double figures, with Herndon leading the way with 16. Kylee Callahan followed with 13, Duran added 12 and Sarina Dacio and Sophie Elstone each had 11.
Rogers collected a team-high seven boards and dished a team-high five assists to go with five points and a steal for Eureka
Freshman Reece Putrich (Farmington, Ill./Farmington Central) posted seven points, five boards, a steal and an assist.
Friday was Eureka's last game before Christmas. The Red Devils (2-7) will return to Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 28 for a 1 p.m. non-conference contest against Franklin (4-3).