After handing league leading Aurora University its first conference loss one week ago, Benedictine (10-10, 3-3 NIIC) jumped out to an 11-4 advantage seven minutes into the game as the Red Devils (4-17, 0-6 NIIC) struggled to get their bearings in the spacious Rice Center.
Eureka eventually rallied to take the lead at 19-18 with the play of Chris Tarpley. The EC junior knocked down a jumper and three-pointer before tipping away a steal that led to his own slam dunk in just over one minute of playing time.
The first half saw seven lead changes and five ties. The turning point in the game came just after the fifth and final tie. After holding the ball for the last shot of the half, Benedictine's Andrew Olson converted on a lay up to give the Eagles the lead with seven seconds to play. The ensuing inbound pass was then intercepted by Matt Harrison, who picked up the third foul on Eureka's A.J. Richard on his drive to the basket. Harrison made both foul shots to give the Eagles a 34-30 halftime lead.
The momentum carried over well into the second half as the hosts went up by 19 with 14 minutes remaining. In all, it was a 23-4 run over six minutes of play. It would prove to be an insurmountable lead despite the heroics of Tarpley and Eric Heider for EC.
Heider made four treys in the second half and finished with 17 points off the bench. Heider's previous high for a game on the season was nine. Tarpley also had a season-best leading Eureka with 24 points and eight boards, also off the bench. EC lead in bench scoring 51-11.
Tim Peffer scored five consecutive points and capped a 17-3 Red Devil run with a three at the 3:46 mark. The score was 68-60 at the time, but that was as close as Eureka would get. Peffer and freshman Brady Wildenradt each scored eight.
Harrison wound up with 27 points, 18 points fewer than his previous game when he put in 45 versus Lakeland. Alan Fudge and Tim Swanson had 19 apiece. Benedictine shot 82 percent at the charity stripe and outscored Eureka 27-8 from the line.
Eureka will host Aurora on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The Spartans are currently tied for the NIIC lead with a 5-1 conference record.