Men’s Basketball Falls in Thrilling Home Opener Against Beloit

EUREKA, Ill. – The Red Devils led for most of the game in their home opener but struggled down the stretch, falling to Beloit by a final score of 77-70.

The Red Devils trailed for the first seven minutes but took the lead on a Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) three-pointer with 13 minutes to play in the first half. Eureka held a narrow lead throughout the rest of the half, taking a 32-27 advantage into the break.

In the second half, Eureka extended its lead to as much as 10 points when Raymond Bandzoumouna Jr. (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) knocked down one of his five three-pointers on a perfect night from beyond the arc, giving the Red Devils a 45-35 lead. Eureka maintained that 10-point advantage for about five minutes, leading 55-45 with just under 10 minutes remaining. However, a quick 5-0 run by the Buccaneers cut the lead to five points, forcing a Eureka timeout with 9:11 left to play. After the timeout, Eureka responded by pushing the lead back to 62-55.

Unfortunately for the Red Devils, Beloit mounted a 9-0 scoring run to take a 72-67 lead with 1:20 left. Eureka broke its scoring drought with 44 seconds remaining when Bandzoumouna drilled his fifth three-pointer of the game, cutting the deficit to just two points. On the ensuing possession, Beloit responded with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, extending its lead to five points with just 12 seconds left. That would be the dagger for the Buccaneers, who held on for a 77-70 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Raymound Bandzoumouna Jr. set a new career-high with 23 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range. He also recorded 10 rebounds, earning his first career double-double.
• Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual) scored 21 points, his highest total of the season, and now leads the Red Devils in scoring with an average of 18.5 points per game. He also contributed 4 steals and 11 rebounds, marking his first double-double of the season.
• Jacob Gonzalez (Los Angeles, Calif./Chatsworth Charter) provided a spark off the bench, scoring 8 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils (0-2) will be back at home on Monday, Nov. 18, against Monmouth (2-0). The Scots enter the game with a 2-0 record, having defeated fellow SLIAC opponents Westminster and Blackburn. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.