ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Eureka College opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half and the Red Devils went on to defeat Bridgewater College, 87-66, Saturday evening at Eckerd College.

Eureka (7-3) scored the game's first six points, but Jessi Strom knocked down a 3-pointer and Heather Cantrell scored on a jumper to pull the Eagles to within one, 6-5.

A 7-2 spurt pushed Eureka's lead to 13-7 before another Strom 3-pointer trimmed the margin to three, 13-10.

The Red Devils followed with a 9-2 run and led 22-12 with 10:03 left in the first half. Eureka methodically increased its advantage during the remainder of the half and took its biggest lead when Jenna Brooks scored on a layup with just three seconds left to send the Red Devils to the locker room with a 17-point, 42-25 lead.

The Eagles were unable to put together a serious run in the second half as they could get no closer than 14 points in the final 20 minutes.

Senior guard Molly Shelley poured in a career-high 20 points to lead the Bridgewater offense. Shelley was a perfect 9-for-9 at the foul line. Cassidy Burkholder also reached double figures with 10 points.

The Eagles held their own on the boards, trailing the Red Devils by a 44-40 margin in rebounds. Holly Morgan led the Eagles with seven rebounds.

Bridgewater (2-6) made just 22-of-70 field goal attempts for 31.4 percent. The Red Devils knocked down 30-of-62 shots for 48.4 percent, including 10-of-20 from 3-point range.

Eureka's Katy Eeten, who entered the game averaging 21.7 points per game, led the Red Devils with 24 points. Kelsey Shoemake added 16 for the Red Devils.

The Eagles return to action on Jan. 4 when they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to meet Salem College.