Eureka Opens Season with Thrilling Overtime Win at Dominican

RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Eureka men's basketball team opened its 2025-26 campaign with a thrilling 90-85 overtime victory on the road against Dominican on Friday night, powered by a career-high 30 points from Jaxson Provost.

The first half was tightly contested, featuring eight lead changes and eight ties. Dominican closed the period on a 7-0 run to take a 36-30 lead into the break, the largest lead of the game by either team. Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) and Andrew Coker (Washington, Ill./Washington) combined for 21 of Eureka's 30 first half points.

Eureka seized momentum immediately after halftime, sparked by a personal 7-0 scoring run from Jonah Lauff (Pana, Ill./Pana). The Red Devils' offense came alive after the break, shooting 56.7 percent from the field and an impressive 85.7 percent from three-point range in the second half. Provost continued to lead the charge, adding 16 points after the break, including a crucial three-point play that gave Eureka an 81-78 lead with under a minute to play.

Dominican responded with a pair of free throws and a transition layup to tie the game at 81 with 15 seconds left in regulation. After a scramble on the ensuing inbound against full-court pressure, Eureka earned a trip to the line but missed both free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining. Dominican had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Eureka's defense held Dominican to just one field goal on eight attempts. Provost opened the scoring with a jumper, and Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) followed with a clutch three-pointer to give Eureka a five-point cushion. AJ Wells (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) added two free throws, and Provost sealed the win with his 30th point of the night on a free throw with 14 seconds remaining.

Provost led all scorers with 30 points, adding five steals and three assists. Carter recorded a career-high 14 rebounds and matched his personal best with six assists. Coker tied his career-high with 11 points and contributed seven rebounds, while Lauff added 18 points and seven boards of his own.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns home for its home opener against Monmouth on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.