Women’s Basketball Preview: Eureka Opens Hanover Tournament Against Unbeaten Panthers

HANOVER, Ind. – The Eureka women's basketball team begins play in the Hanover College Tournament tonight, taking on the host Panthers at 6 p.m. ET inside Collier Arena. The matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

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LAST TIME OUT:

Eureka battled Illinois Tech on Tuesday but came up short, 71-58, despite a balanced offensive effort that saw all five starters score in double figures. Miracle Armstrong led the way with a career-high 16 points, while Courtney Hart recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Railynn Brown added 10 points and two timely threes, Allysa Taylor chipped in 10 points and a team-high four assists, and Sierra Garcia-Reisch rounded out the group with 10 points and three steals.

ABOUT THE RED DEVILS:

The Red Devils enter the tournament at 0-3 after a challenging start against nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh of the WIAC, fellow WIAC member UW-Stevens Point, and a competitive road loss at Illinois Tech. Garcia-Reisch leads Eureka in scoring at 12.0 points per game, while Hart anchors the paint with 10.7 rebounds per contest. Eureka will look to build on Tuesday's offensive balance and continue its defensive pressure after forcing 21 Illinois Tech turnovers.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS:

Hanover comes in unbeaten at 3-0 and has been dominant on both ends of the floor. The Panthers rank among the nation's best in points per game (83.7), rebounds per game (49.3), rebound margin (+13.0), and blocked shots per game (5.7). Senior Alexis Wines headlines the attack with 22.3 points per game and ranks among the national leaders in three-pointers made, while fellow senior Kaitlyn Lorenzi has posted double-doubles in all three game this season and averages 18.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per contest. Junior Sammy Berman adds another scoring punch at 20.0 points per game. Hanover is coming off an 85-67 win over Asbury, where Wines hit five threes and Lorenzi went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line to secure her third straight double-double.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Eureka will face either Wilmington or Saint Mary's in Saturday's tournament finale, with tip-off time to be announced following tonight's results.