Bowers Scores 28 in Loss to Griffins

The Eutectic men's basketball team travelled the short distance to local rival Fontbonne University (NCAA Division III) for a non-conference competition on Thursday night. The Fontbonne Griffins, who boasted a 4-1 advantage over the Eutectics since 1999, improved their record to 5-1 so far this season with a 102-77 victory over UHSP, now 1-7. Brady Bowers led the Purple and Gold with a career-high 28 points, going 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.  

The Griffins took a 4-0 lead following two offensive rebounds before the Eutectics' Braylon Rios hit a three to close the gap after a minute-and-a-half. Moctar Keita followed that up with his own offensive board and jump shot to put the Euts up 5-4. A triple from Jas Suvalija (from another Keita offensive rebound) and a Brady Bowers jump shot gave the Euts a 10-8 edge at 15:28. But, in the next minute, the Griffins made four of their next five attempts to pull ahead 17-10. Up 23-16 at the 10-minute mark, the home team then snatched the momentum, going on a 10-point run before Rios hit another three, assisted by Jas Suvalija at 6:18, to make it 33-19. Bowers drained a jump shot and a layup with less than five minutes left in the half, but the Griffins held on to a solid lead of 44-33 as they headed into intermission.

Less than four minutes into the second half, Fontbonne extended that lead to 20 points (57-37), taking advantage of three Eutectic turnovers. With 10 minutes left in the game, the Purple and Gold found themselves down 77-50 and were never able to dig themselves out of that hole as time ran out.

The Griffins forced 16 UHSP turnovers and outrebounded the Euts 41-30 in the game, which translated into 22 more shots from the home team, including 22 second-chance points.

Led by Bowers' 28 points, all nine Eutectics who entered the game scored. Suvalija joined Bowers with double digit points, making 3-of-6 from the arc for 11 total points. The rest of the UHSP points came from Dwight Newsome (9), Keita (7), Rios (6), Kyan Arrandale (5), Sean Paradise Jr. (4), RJ Steckler (4), and Landon Engelage (3). Keita pulled down six rebounds, while Paradise Jr. and Bowers recorded two steals each.    

Ethan Chartrand led the Griffins with 21 points and six rebounds.

The Eutectics will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 2, when they travel to Charleston, Ill., for an exhibition game at NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois University.