Eureka 86 Neumann 59
Recap
Neumann jumped out to a quick 13-8 lead in the first four minutes of the game, after that Eureka lead the rest of the way. With six minutes left in the first half, Eureka lead 29-24, but closed the first half on a 17-6 run to take a 46-30 lead into halftime. The second half was the same as the final six minutes of the first half as Eureka cruised to victory with Neumann never getting closer than 13. The key to this game, was that Neumann could not stop Eureka, while Eureka was able to shut down Neumann. Eureka shot 55% from the field on the game while Neumann only shot 36% and relied too heavily on the 3 ball going 11 for 28 from behind the line.
The game named Bradford Davis of Eureka as player of the game, and yes, he had 19 points, but the real player of the game was Charles Mattera off the bench for Eureka. Mattera had 18 points and 12 rebounds on 7 of 12 shooting in only 20 minutes.
For Neumann, their best player was Douglas Holbert who had 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting in 21 minutes.
Current Standings:
1) Eureka 1-0 (+20)
2) Concorida 1-0 (+13)
3T) John Carroll 0-0
3T) Northland 0-0
5) Neumann 0-2 (-33)
Next game is 5/18, Neumann at #24 Northland
Being the coach of Neumann, the only question I have for this game is whether I can cover the 32 point spread. Northland would like to open this tournament with a good first game, and put the pressure on Eureka to continue to perform well. And don't forget, John Carroll is still waiting in the wings and has yet to play a game.