Men’s Basketball Drops Season Opener at Cornell

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Eureka men's basketball team came up just short in their season opener on Wednesday at Cornell, falling 78-72.

The Red Devils stayed close early in the first half, cutting Cornell's lead to 21-18 on an Emaryon Byrd (Peoria, Ill./Manual) putback layup. However, the Rams responded with a 13-2 run, building a sizable lead. Cornell carried that momentum into the halftime break, leading 39-28 at intermission.

Eureka came out of the break with renewed energy, scoring on layups by Byrd and Raymond Bandzoumouna Jr. (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) to cut the deficit to 7 points less than two minutes into the second half, forcing a timeout by Cornell. The Rams regrouped after the timeout, extending their lead to as many as 13 points. The Red Devils continued to fight, refusing to go down easily. With 2:53 remaining, Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just 4 points. Unfortunately for Eureka, that would be as close as they would get, as Cornell went on to close out the game with a 78-72 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Emaryon Byrd recorded a double-double in his Eureka debut with 13 rebounds and a team-leading 17 points. He also contributed 2 assists and shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
• Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual), the team's second-leading scorer from last season, recorded 16 points. He also added 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.
• Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) set a career-high with 13 points, shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• Jacob Gonzalez (Los Angeles, Calif./Chatsworth Charter) scored 10 points, dished out 3 assists, grabbed 2 rebounds, and recorded 1 steal in his debut for the Red Devils.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils will look to bounce back in their home opener on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 3:00 p.m. against Beloit.