Eureka Falls to Undefeated St. Francis at Home

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka men's basketball team came up short against St. Francis on Wednesday night, falling 71-58 at home to the undefeated NAIA program.

Eureka opened the night with early shot-making, as a three from Jonah Lauff (Pana, Ill./Pana) gave the Red Devils a 3-2 lead, followed shortly by a triple from Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) to tie the game at 6-6. Provost carried the offense in the opening minutes, scoring 9 of Eureka's first 12 points to keep the game tight.

Lauff connected again from deep with 10:30 remaining in the first half, giving Eureka a 15-14 advantage. However, St. Francis seized control with a decisive 16-0 run, holding the Red Devils scoreless for nearly eight minutes and building a 30-15 lead. Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) ended the drought with a three-pointer, but the Saints maintained a 36-24 advantage at the half.

Provost came out strong again to start the second half, scoring Eureka's first five points to cut the deficit to 10 at 39-29. St. Francis answered immediately with a 9-0 run to stretch the margin to 48-29, the largest lead of the night. Back-to-back baskets from Carter and Nolan Kerr (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) trimmed the gap to 15, but St. Francis responded on each push Eureka made.

The Saints rebuilt their lead to 18 before Provost scored consecutive buckets to bring Eureka within 14. St. Francis again surged ahead, taking a 64-46 lead into the under 8-minute media timeout. Out of the break, Eureka strung together five quick points to force a Saints timeout, but USF countered with another run to push the margin back to 18 at 69-51.

In the final minutes, Santino Ruma (Birmingham, Mich./IMG Academy) provided a spark with back-to-back baskets, and Mussie Hayelom (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) knocked down a three late, but the Saints held firm to close out the 71-58 win.

Provost led all scorers with 26 points. Carter finished with 10 points and five boards, while Lauff contributed six points on a pair of early threes.

UP NEXT

Eureka resumes SLIAC play on Saturday at home, hosting Westminster at 3:00 p.m. The Blue Jays enter at 1-1 in conference action following a loss to Webster and a win over Principia, while the Red Devils sit at 1-0 after their victory over Blackburn.