Blackburn men’s basketball was unable to stop the Eureka Red Devils on Wednesday evening and fell to their conference rival by a final score of 77-69.
1st Half: Blackburn and Eureka were neck-and-neck throughout the entirety of the first half. Neither team seemed to be able to break through the opposing defense. Eureka shot 14-32 on field goals in the first half, and 5-13 on three-pointers. Blackburn was 12-30 on field goals and 2-10 on threes.
Early on, impact players included Troy Cole Jr. for the Beavers, and Cody Baer for the Red Devils. Baer was able to finish strong on several field goals throughout the first half, that ultimately extended the lead for Eureka heading into halftime. A pair of technical fouls issued during the first half, one to each team, resulted in high tensions amongst players leading into halftime, when the score was 37-29, Eureka leading.
2nd Half: Eureka wasted no time, scoring right out of the gates following halftime. A quick pair of points from Eureka’s Charlie McKinty gave Eureka an extended ten point lead over the Beavers. Blackburn would struggle to generate any further offense through the majority of the second half, with the bulk of their shooters going cold halfway through the second half. However, the Beavers did not give up.
As the clock wound down in the second half, Blackburn began to mount a comeback. Locke Hord drained a clutch three-pointer late in the half that momentarily put the Beavers within tying distance of the Red Devils. The score was 71-66 late in the half, but a handful of mental mistakes by the Beavers sealed the deal for Eureka. After being forced to foul, the Beavers found themselves down 75-66. A final three from Cameron Johnson found nothing but net to bring the score to 75-69, but the Red Devils walked away with the win after two more free throws.
Eureka shot 29-65 on field goals, 7-21 on three-pointers, and 12-15 on free throws. They had 36 total rebounds, 23 assists, with seven steals and four blocks.
Blackburn shot 27-65 on field goals, 8-28 on three-pointers, and 7-13 on free throws. They finished with 42 rebounds, 15 assists, and two blocks.
Blackburn will have a few days to get themselves mentally prepared for their next conference opponent, Principia College. The Beavers will travel to Principia on Saturday to face the Panthers, with tip off set for 3:00 p.m.