Women’s Basketball Impresses in Season-Opening Win Over Dominican

RIVER FOREST, Ill. – A dominant second quarter propelled the Red Devils to an 80-52 season-opening victory over Dominican.

The two teams were fairly even in the first quarter, with the Red Devils holding a slight advantage, 12-10. However, the second quarter told a much different story. The Stars came out strong, quickly gaining a 15-12 lead. Eureka responded with an 18-3 scoring run, regaining and extending the lead to 30-18. The Red Devils stretched that advantage by one more point, heading into halftime with a 36-23 lead.

Eureka carried that momentum into the second half, starting with a 7-2 run, with Lainey Moore (Sullivan, Ill./Sullivan) accounting for 5 of those 7 points. Dominican called a timeout, which they used effectively to respond with an 8-0 run, cutting Eureka's lead to 43-33. Maxine Najera (Riverside, Calif./Hillcrest) ended the scoring drought with a basket through contact, then converted the ensuing free throw to complete a three-point play.

Najera kept the momentum going through the remainder of the third quarter, scoring 8 of the Red Devils' final 11 points of the period, helping extend the lead to 54-40. She continued her strong play in the fourth quarter, scoring 5 of Eureka's first 7 points to push the lead to 61-40. The Red Devils extended their lead even further down the stretch, ultimately securing an 80-52 victory in their season opener.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Maxine Najera led all scorers with 14 points, 13 of which came in the second half. She also contributed 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.
• Brin Hultz (Quincy, Ill./Quincy) recorded a double-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
• Lainey Moore tied her career-high with 13 points and added 8 steals, tying for the 8th-most steals in a single game in Eureka women's basketball history.
• Miya Webb (Indianapolis, Ind./Brownsburg) scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in her first game as a Red Devil.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils will take the floor for their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 19, against Knox, with tipoff set for 6:00 p.m.