Eureka Wraps Up Nonconference Slate at Illinois College

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka women's basketball team closed out its nonconference slate on Monday night but could not slow down Illinois College, falling 96-58 on the road.

Eureka opened the game on the front foot, striking first on a Brooklyn Bowman (Washington, Ill./Washington) jumper on the Red Devils' opening possession. Illinois College responded immediately with a decisive 17-0 run that flipped momentum and put Eureka in an early hole. Lailah Hadley (Indianapolis, Ind./Purdue Polytechnic) stopped the run with a layup for her first points of the night, beginning what would become a career-high scoring performance. Illinois College continued to stretch the lead throughout the first quarter, taking a 28-9 advantage into the second despite baskets from Kayla Collins (Fort Worth, Texas/Fort Worth Christian) and a late and-one by Courtney Hart (Lancaster, Calif./Yosemite).

Hart provided an early spark in the second quarter, scoring Eureka's first six points of the period to keep the Red Devils within striking distance. After Illinois College pushed the lead to 44-22, Eureka briefly found rhythm with a 6-0 run highlighted by layups from Hadley and free throws from Hart. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Illinois College regained control and carried a 61-32 lead into halftime.

Illinois College maintained its pace coming out of the break, opening the third quarter with nine unanswered points to further extend its lead. The home team controlled the third period and entered the final frame ahead 82-43. Eureka showed resilience in the fourth quarter, outscoring Illinois College 15-14 in the final ten minutes. Hadley accounted for seven of those points, but the deficit proved too large as the Red Devils ultimately fell 96-58.

Courtney Hart led Eureka with 21 points and 15 rebounds, recording her fourth consecutive double double. Hadley followed closely with a career-high 20 points while adding four assists, three steals, and four rebounds. Railynn Brown (Erlanger, Ky./Lloyd Memorial) chipped in seven points and three steals to round out the Red Devils' top contributors.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns to conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Webster for a SLIAC matchup with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m.