Third-Quarter Surge Sets up Eagles to Fly Away with Victory over Eutectics

The Eutectic women's basketball team travelled to Walnut Ridge, Ark., for a Saturday afternoon American Midwest Conference (AMC) contest with Williams Baptist University. The WBU team took a healthy lead in the first half, but the 6-1 Eagles (4-1 in the AMC) really took flight in the third quarter to secure the win with a final score of 89-45 for the teams' first matchup of a home-and-home AMC series.

The Eagles took an early lead, going up 19-8 after eight minutes. But, in the last two minutes of the first quarter, the Eutectics drained four free throws, while keeping the Eagles' offense quiet, to post a first-period score of 19-12. Then, despite 12 points from Reece Halley in the second quarter, the Eagles  extended their lead to a 41-26 halftime score.

It was the third period that buried the Eutectics to a depth from which they could not dig out. The Eagles' defense forced 11 Eutectic turnovers and outrebounded the UHSP team 11-5 during those 10 minutes to earn 13 more field goal attempts than the Euts. They outscored the Eutectics 27-8 in the third period to head into the final 10 minutes of the game up 68-34. The Purple and Gold could do little in the fourth quarter to make any headway or change the momentum, eventually falling 89-45.

Reece Halley finished with 15 points for the Eutectics, tacking on four rebounds, two steals, and one block. Karsyn Morgan (8), Alina Bowden (6), Arianna Buduan (4), Montasia McAllister (4), Rylee Hipp (3), Taylor Hitchcock (2), Kailana Reed (2), and DaNaiyah Darnell (1) accounted for the rest of the UHSP points.

Carmen Taylor led the Eagles with 22 points and nine steals.

The Eutectics are now 2-8 overall and 2-4 in the AMC. After an exhibition game in town against NCAA Division II Maryville University on Monday morning, the team will travel to northern Illinois for games at Saint Xavier University on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and University of St. Francis on Thursday at 2 p.m.