Eeten, Brown Lift Eureka Over Webster, 81-65

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Eureka College sophomore guard Caty Eeten (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.) scored 11 of her game-high 29 points at the free throw line to break Eureka's single-season free throw record, while senior forward Khassandrae Brown (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria H.S./Kankakee) collected a career-high 19 rebounds, leading the Red Devils to their ninth consecutive victory in an 81-65 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at Webster, Saturday afternoon at Grant Gymnasium in St. Louis, Mo.

Eeten went 11-for-15 from the charity stripe on Saturday to bump her sophomore season total to 162-for-192 and break the previous single-season school record of 160 set by Jessica Reardon during the 2003-04 campaign.  Eeten has made 10 free throws or more in six different games this season, including a school-record 20 foul shots in the Red Devils' league victory over Greenville on Nov. 30 at the Reagan Center.

Brown's pair of foul shots at the 13:17 mark of the first half capped a 14-6 surge by the Red Devils to open the game.  The Red Devils maintained the advantage until Webster's Airyn Miller connected on a jumper to force a 16-16 deadlock with 10:42 remaining.  The Gorloks gained their first lead of the afternoon moments later when Loren Douglas scored for a 20-18 advantage with 9:53 left.

The Red Devils (17-3, 11-2 SLIAC) trailed by as many as three points, 27-24, before ending the half on a high note.  EC regained the lead on Eeten's 3-point play with 5:43 to play, part of a 20-6 run by the visitors to close the half with a 44-33 advantage.  The 11-point advantage was Eureka's largest of the half.

Webster (8-12, 6-5 SLIAC) scored the first seven points of the second half to claw within four, 44-40.  The burst proved to be the Gorloks' last real threat of the day, as Eureka quickly pushed its lead back to double-digits when junior guard Jay Stewart (Taylorville, Ill./Taylorville H.S./Illinois State) hit a 3-pointer for a 52-42 cushion with 16:53 left.

The Red Devils slowly stretched their lead throughout the second half, leading by as many as 18 points (81-63) after two free throws from Eeten with 1:13 left.

Brown's 19 rebounds were the fourth-most by a Red Devil in single-game program history and the best effort on the glass by a Eureka player since Nicole Fisher collected 19 boards versus Westminster on Feb. 16, 2008.  Brown added 24 points on Saturday for her seventh double-double of the season.  Stewart scored 11 points to give the Red Devils three starters in double-figures.

Webster's Maggie Zehner made four 3-pointers en route to a team-high 16 points.  The Gorloks struggled on the glass Saturday, as the Red Devils held a 57-36 advantage for the afternoon.

Saturday's victory was Eureka's ninth in a row overall and ninth in a row on an opponent's home floor dating back to February 2011.  The win also gave the Red Devils a season series sweep of Webster for the first time since the 2006-07 season and snapped a four-game losing streak at Webster's Grant Gymnasium.

Eureka will take a break from league play on Wednesday when the Red Devils host Lincoln Christian in the final non-conference game of the regular season.  Tip-off at the Reagan Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.