ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Eureka College senior forward Khassandrae Brown (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria H.S./Kankakee) scored a career-high 30 points and led all players with 13 rebounds, lifting the Red Devils to a 79-63 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference triumph against Fontbonne, Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, Mo. The win proved to be Eureka's fifth in a row on an opponent's home floor dating back to February 2011.
The Red Devils (10-3, 4-2 SLIAC) and Griffins (7-8, 4-2 SLIAC) played to four ties and four lead changes in the first half before Eureka took a 22-20 advantage on a jumper by junior forward Melissa Clements (Sheridan, Ill./Serena H.S./IVCC) with 8:11 to play before halftime. The bucket triggered a 20-12 run by the Red Devils to close the half. Brown scored 16 points in the first 20 minutes, as Eureka carried a 40-32 advantage into the break.
The Griffins kept their deficit manageable for a large portion of the second half and ultimately clawed within a single possession when Shelby Ellison's 3-pointer cut Eureka's advantage to 60-57 with 6:09 to play. Brown was fouled and made two free throws on the ensuing EC possession, sparking an impressive offensive showing by the Red Devils to end the game.
Eureka outscored Fontbonne 19-6 over the final six minutes behind 11 points from sophomore guard Caty Eeten (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.). Brown and Eeten combined to make 10 consecutive free throws in the final 2:20 to close out Eureka's first victory in six visits to Fontbonne since joining the SLIAC prior to the 2006-07 season. Saturday's victory also snapped a five-game losing streak in the all-time series versus the Griffins.
Eeten, who entered the week as the NCAA Division III scoring leader, scored 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting. She also went 8-for-9 from the foul line. Brown also delivered an accurate shooting performance, going 8-for-9 from the field and 14-for-16 from the charity stripe. She collected 10 rebounds and made all 10 of her free throws in the second half. Eureka shot 50 percent (26-for-52) from the field and made 25 of its 29 free throw attempts for the afternoon.
Ellison poured in 31 points and collected seven rebounds to pace the Griffins. Ava Johnson was next in line offensively for Fontbonne with nine points in 19 minutes played off the bench.
Eureka is now 4-0 in road games this season. Including a victory at MacMurray in last season's finale on Feb. 22, 2011, the Red Devils have won five true road contests in a row dating back to a loss at Westminster on Feb. 19, 2011. Saturday's victory, coupled with the win by the Eureka men's team, gave the Red Devils their first SLIAC doubleheader sweep since Feb. 11, 2010 at Principia.
The Red Devils will return home Monday for a 6 p.m. SLIAC tip-off against Spalding at the Reagan Center. Eureka topped the Golden Eagles, 71-58, on Jan. 4 in Louisville.