Red Devils Battle Back to Beat Fontbonne 78-77

EUREKA, Ill. - The Eureka men's basketball team rallied from a 15-point deficit on Wednesday evening to defeat Fontbonne, 78-77.

Eureka started strong in the first half with Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual) scoring the opening jumper and Emaryon Byrd (Peoria, Ill./Manual) assisting and scoring consistently throughout the half. Byrd contributed significantly with multiple important buckets, including a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup. Despite these efforts, the Griffins led at the end of the half with a 44-35 advantage, aided by several fast-break points and successful free throws. Eureka trailed by as many as 15 points during the half.

In the second half, the Red Devils demonstrated resilience by closing the scoring gap, starting with Jonah Lauff's (Pana, Ill./Pana) layup, which initiated a steady scoring effort. Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) made significant contributions, scoring two layups and assisting Emaryon Byrd with a layup that narrowed the score to 53-41. Andrew Coker (Washington, Ill./Washington) provided a big spark off the bench with a season-high of 7 points, including a crucial layup late in the game. Eureka went on a 13-0 scoring run with under 5 minutes to play to turn an 8 point deficit into a 5 point lead. Late in the half, Eureka's Peewee Brown scored a layup and a 3-pointer back-to-back, helping the Red Devils edge ahead to a 70-67 lead.

With under 30 seconds left, Fontbonne hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game, setting up a dramatic finish. The Red Devils quickly inbounded the ball after the Griffins' game-tying shot and found Dylan Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View), who was fouled on a layup attempt with 7 seconds remaining and knocked down one free throw. Then, with just 1 second left, Logsdon denied Fontbonne's attempt to win the game with a block, securing the victory for the Red Devils.

Emaryon Byrd led the team with an impressive 24 points, shooting 10-of-13 from the field, and added 12 rebounds and six assists, marking his 10th double-double of the season and his 3rd straight double-double. Peewee Brown contributed significantly with 14 points, making five baskets, and adding five rebounds.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils will look to carry this momentum into the weekend when they host Westminster on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.