Women's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker In Overtime Against Eureka

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University women's basketball team led by 19 with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, however, the Eureka Red Devils tied it prior to regulation ending and Eureka capped off the comeback with the 80-75 win.

Records

Eureka (5-8; 1-2 SLIAC)

Fontbonne (7-8; 3-2 SLIAC)

Game Breakdown

The Griffins started out well in the first quarter leading 11-4 at the 5:38 mark on Kourtney White's layup. Later, the Griffins kept rolling along stretching its advantage out to 20-9 with 1:08 remaining on Lauren Smith's layup and after one led 20-10.

Fontbonne shot 63.6 percent from the field in the first led by Jillian Venegas with eight points and four rebounds. White and Smith added four points each.

In the second quarter, the Griffins maintained its lead with Venegas' 3-point play keeping Fontbonne ahead by 10 (27-17) with 5:49 left.

Smith's layup with 2:08 remaining extended its lead to 33-21 with just over two minutes on the clock, but the Red Devils finished out the final minutes on a 4-0 run cutting the deficit to 33-25 at the break.

In the third, the Griffins opened with a 13-2 run as Rylee Stafford's layup gave Fontbonne a comfortable 46-27 lead at 5:19. They held onto that double-digit lead the rest of the way going into the fourth on top, 52-37.

After a tough second quarter, the Griffins offense bounced back in the third going 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) from the field. Stafford went 4-of-5 and 3-of-4 from downtown ending with 11 points.

In the fourth, the Griffins led 60-41 on Stafford's layup with 7:25 left. However, the Red Devils went on a 21-3 run and trailed 63-62 with 23.0 seconds left on Savanah Moore's layup. After a timeout, the Griffins got a bucket from Venegas making it a 65-62 contest.

Eureka, though kept battling and Abby Stotler got fouled with 7.0 seconds left. She made the first, but intentionally missed the second in hopes of tying the game with a put-back attempt.

Stotler grabbed the offensive board, but she missed her shot. Olivia Falls got the board and was fouled on her shot with just seconds left. She connected on both free throws and it was off to overtime.

In overtime, the Red Devils stayed hot from the field opening with a 5-0 run leading 70-65. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Rylee Pickett kept the Griffins in it trailing 73-71 with 3:02 remaining.

Despite the Griffins efforts in the final minutes, the Red Devils never relinquished its lead and went on for the 80-75 win.

Team Stats

• Fontbonne shot 40.3 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers for the third time in its last five games.
• The Griffins had its struggles from the free throw line going 16-of-29 (55.2 percent).
• Eureka controlled the glass having a 50-29 advantage.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Jillian Venegas tied her career-high with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
• Rylee Stafford ended with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
• Lauren Smith came off the bench ending with nine points.
• Kya Harbour and Kourtney White ended with eight points each.
• Rylee Pickett finished with seven points.

Up Next

The Griffins return to the court next Tuesday when they'll visit Principia. Tip-off at 5:30 p.m.

About Fontbonne University

Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu.

Make sure to follow the women's basketball team on all its social media accounts: Twitter (@fontbonnewbb), Instagram (@fontbonnewbb) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).