Louisville, KY. – The Spalding women's basketball team beat Eureka, 68-54, Saturday afternoon at Derek Smith Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles rose to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the SLIAC, while Eureka fell to 1-5 and 1-1 in conference play.

The Golden Eagles were paced by freshman Alex Martin with 18 points and eight rebounds. Following Martin was center Maddie Martin, a junior, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Michaela Balducci led Eureka College with a game-high total of 24 points.
 
It was a close start in the first quarter as Eureka and Spalding tied at the end of the period 12-all. Eureka jumped to a 6-0 lead at the beginning of the second period and led until 8:48 when Julie Skaggs made a layup sparking an 8-0 Spalding run. The Golden Eagles were leading 12-10 at the 3:51 mark, but EC's Samantha Sarnes made a layup, tying the game 12-12 at the 23-second mark.
 
A jump shot by Maya Hardin kicked off the second quarter helping Spalding inch ahead, 14-12, and SU opened up on a 9-0 burst. Eureka snapped the run when a Michaela Balducci three-point play making it 21-15. However, the Eagles fought back and after a 3-point jump shot by Brandy Hunter, Spalding took the lead 33-18 at the halftime break.
 
The Golden Eagles struggled the first few minutes of the second half as Emily Camden from Eureka hit a 3-pointer to start of the second half and make it 33-21. It wasn't until 7:47 when guard Alex Martin made a lay-up and ended the string of bad luck for the Eagles. Kelsey Kaiser and Maddie Martin increased the score to 41-25 at the 4:32 mark. With only seconds left on the clock, Alex Martin hit her second 3-pointer of the game at the last second with an assist from Mackenzie Meyers, ending the third quarter in Spalding's favor with a 48-37 lead.
 
It was an uphill battle for the Spalding women as they entered the fourth quarter. Eureka fought hard as they started closing the gap at the 3:02 mark with the score still falling in Spalding's favor with a 58-49 lead. The game finished as Alex Martin made both her free-throws, ending the game with a 68-54 win.
 
The Spalding Women's Basketball team will be back in action next Saturday, December 12 in St. Louis, Missouri. Tip-off is at 2 pm EST at Fontbonne University.