Red Devils Secure Home Tournament Game with Win Over Fontbonne

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Eureka men's basketball team secured the 5th seed in the SLIAC tournament and a home quarterfinal game with a dominant 98-79 victory over Fontbonne on Wednesday night.

Eureka took control early, building a 16-point lead in the first half behind strong inside play from Raymond Bandzoumouna (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) and Emaryon Byrd (Peoria, Ill./Manual). However, Fontbonne answered with a 13-0 run to trim the deficit to three. The Red Devils regrouped and held their advantage, with Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington) knocking down a late three-pointer in the final minute to give Eureka a 44-33 lead heading into halftime.

The Red Devils kept their foot on the gas in the second half, maintaining their momentum from the first. After an early basket from Fontbonne, Eureka put together a 9-0 run to push their lead to 17 points. Bruer knocked down a three-pointer, while Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual) and Bandzoumouna continued to attack the rim, keeping the Red Devils in control. Fontbonne struggled to cut into the deficit as Eureka's defense held firm. A three-pointer from Andrew Coker (Hanna City, Ill./Farmington) with eight minutes remaining extended the lead to 24, marking the Red Devils' largest advantage of the game. Eureka never wavered down the stretch, securing a dominant road victory by a final score of 98-79.

GAME NOTES

• Eureka led for over 38 minutes of the game.
• The Red Devils secured a home quarterfinal game in the SLIAC tournament against MUW.
• Peewee Brown recorded his third double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
• Raymond Bandzoumouna contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists while making all five of his free throw attempts.
• Micah Bruer added 12 points, knocking down four 3-pointers.
• Emaryon Byrd finished with 14 points and six rebounds.

UP NEXT
Eureka will travel to Fulton, Mo., to take on Westminster on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. in their final game of the regular season. The Red Devils will look to sweep the season series after defeating Westminster 74-55 earlier this year.