Stars edge Euts in key early season AMC contest

The Stephens Stars brought an undefeated conference mark into St. Louis for an early-season showdown with the only other remaining unbeaten in American Midwest Conference play, the UHSP Eutectics. The Stars did just enough in the waning minute to hold off the Eutectics and get out of town with their unbeaten conference mark still intact at 5-0 with a 62-58 win.

Chu Crockett led the way for Stephens College in the win with a double-double scoring 15 points and grabbing 15 rebounds as the Stars (10-4) move comfortably into the top spot in the conference race as they near the midway point of their conference slate. Grace Beyer led all scorers with 25 points while collecting seven rebounds as the Eutectics fell to .500 overall at 6-6 and 1-1 in the AMC.

Beyer made a layup late that brought UHSP to within one at 55-54, but Marveen Ross answered at the other end to put the Stars back up three. Beyer missed a layup in the next Eutectics' possession, but SC would not as Alayasia Douglas made a layup giving Stephens a 59-54 lead with 1:16 to go. Beyer would convert again inside and get fouled to cut the deficit to three. She would miss the free throw, but the Euts managed an offensive rebound to get possession back. After Karsyn Morgan missed on a layup attempt, Ross grabbed a rebound in traffic which result in a hard collision with UHSP's Emily Coleman. Stephens could not add to the lead keeping it a three-point game until Elizabeth Allanach knocked down a pair at the line bringing the home club to within one at 59-58 with :15 seconds left. Crockett would find room for a layup to again give the Stars a three-point advantage. Ross would split a pair of foul shots for the final margin as the Eutectics final possession went awry.

The Eutectics entered the fourth quarter down one at 39-38, but trailed 38-33 late in the third. Payten Foster made a layup with 2:22 left to make it a three-point game and Allanach tied it at 38-38 with a three-pointer. Allanach was coming off a game on Thursday against Harris-Stowe where she was 7-of-8 from beyond the arc. Allanach finished this game with 11 points going 3-for-8 from downtown with four boards and three assists.

It was a tight game throughout as the contest featured four ties and 11 lead changes with the largest lead either way being seven. The Purple and Gold led by one at the half as Beyer capped the first half on a layup to put UHSP up 25-24. Stephens opened the game scoring nine of the game's first 11 points, but a layup and four foul shots from Beyer and a Samantha Matthews three got the Eutectics right back in it, tying the game at 11-11.

Ross and Douglas each scored 11 point for the Stars as each team put three players in double figures. Matthews added 13 points for UHSP. The final team numbers were fairly similar with each team shooting 40% from the floor and each making eight three-pointers. UHSP was 10-for-13 at the line (76.9%) while the Stars were 6-for-8 (75%). Stephens did have 10 more field goal attempts than the Eutectics as UHSP turned it over 19 times to 13 for the Stars. UHSP did outrebound the visitors, 32-25.

These two will meet again in Columbia in the second half of the AMC schedule on Feb. 3. The Eutectics now go on the road for their next three games, all against conference foes. They play Tuesday at Missouri Baptist, Thursday at William Woods and Saturday in Columbia as they play three games in five days. UHSP is not home again until January 18 against Central Baptist.