Griffins Tournament Hopes Gets Spoiled In Season Finale Against Eureka

EUREKA, Ill.—The Fontbonne University women's basketball team had hopes of earning the final spot in the SLIAC Tournament against Eureka on Saturday, however, the Red Devils spoiled the Griffins attempt winning, 78-50.

Fontbonne (12-13; 8-8 SLIAC), struggled from the floor as they shot a season-low 24.3 percent from the field. Sarah Schraut closed out her senior campaign with a team-high 13 points and a career-high 15 boards. Rylee Stafford added 11 points off the bench, while Raven Venegas contributed 10 points and five rebounds.

Eureka (18-7; 13-3 SLIAC), shot 40.3 percent from the floor, out-rebounded Fontbonne 51-48 and forced 21 Griffin turnovers. They were led by Samantha Sarnes' game-high 20 points off the bench. Kerrigan Dura went 8-of-14 to finish with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Lexi Dooley collected a double-double of her own with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

In the first quarter, Fontbonne gained the early edge at 5-4 on Schraut's made jumper. However, over the final five minutes, Eureka outscored the Griffins 14-9, en route to an 18-9 advantage after one.

In the second quarter, two 3-pointers from Stafford and Paige Black, along with two made free throws from Raven Venegas put Fontbonne right back in it at 18-17 (8:43).

Later, at the 5:40 mark, Dura's 3-pointer gave Eureka some breathing room leading 26-19. Three minutes later, Fontbonne cut it down to 28-23 on Schraut's bucket, but Eureka finished out the half on a 8-1 run to take a 36-24 lead into the break.

In the third, the Red Devils outscored Fontbonne 19-10, giving them a 55-34 lead going into the final 10:00 minutes of play.

In the final quarter of play, the Griffins were unable to put together one final push as the deficit proved to be too great with Eureka going on for the victory.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates on the women's basketball team.