Red Devils Suffer First League Loss at Fontbonne, 67-62
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Eureka College freshman guard Kennedy Dura (Edwards, Ill./Brimfield H.S.) scored a career-high 17 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 2:13 left, but Fontbonne scored seven of the game's final nine points to earn a 67-62 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Red Devils, Saturday afternoon at Mabee Gymnasium in St. Louis, Mo. The decision snapped Eureka's 10-game conference win streak.
After Dura's 3 from the top of the key forced a 60-60 tie, Fontbonne regained a 62-60 lead on Emily Haring's bucket on the ensuing possession and wouldn't give up the lead again.
Eureka had one final chance to tie with possession trailing 64-62, but a turnover thwarted the opportunity before the Red Devils could attempt a game-tying or go-ahead field goal attempt. The Griffins made three of their final four free throw attempts to seal their victory.
The two teams were tied 15-15 after one quarter before Eureka senior guard Luci Weis (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community H.S.) scored eight consecutive points to spark the Red Devils' 11-0 run and a 26-15 lead. EC's lead ballooned to as many as 13 points in the second quarter, 34-21, but FU closed the half with five unanswered points to trail 34-26 at intermission.
The Griffins pulled even, 41-41, when Lauren Willis connected at the 3:43 mark of the third quarter. A basket from Sarah Schraut less than a minute later gave the hosts their first lead of the second half, 43-42.
Facing a deficit that grew to as large as six, Eureka was able to pull even three times in the fourth period, including Kennedy Dura's triple with 2:13 to play. Haring's basket with 1:44 left pushed the Griffins ahead for good.
Kennedy Dura went 7-for-10 from the field. Weis netted 11 off the bench and made two 3-point field goals to move in front of Kara Smith (1987-90) for third place on Eureka's all-time list with 136.
Senior Michaela Balducci (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.) logged a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, as did sophomore Lexi Dooley (Sutter, Ill./Warsaw H.S.) with 10 points and 12 boards. It marked the first time two Red Devils have a double-double in the same game since the same duo accomplished the feat at Blackburn on Feb. 17, 2016.
Five Griffins scored in double figures. Haring and Schraut shared the team lead with 12 points. Raven Venegas pulled down 10 rebounds.
Eureka will travel to Westminster Monday for a 3 p.m. start against the Blue Jays in Fulton, Mo. The contest was originally scheduled for Jan. 14, but was postponed after an ice storm swept through the Midwest.