Greenville, Ill. -- This afternoon the Principia College women's basketball team played in their 2nd game of the Panthers Paws for Poverty Tournament hosted by fellow SLIAC member Greenville College.  Facing St. Mary of the Woods College out of Terre Haute, IN Principia got off to a hesitant start, trading baskets with St. Mary's and turning the ball over after solid defensive stops.  Much of the 1st half was characterized by slow defense and choppy offense, but Principia hung around for much of the 1st half, despite 58% shooting on St. Mary's part.  A brief flurry of 3's at the end of the half allowed St. Mary's to break the game open a bit, and Principia went into the locker room at half time down 25-41.

The 2nd half however showed as much spirit and energy as had been lacking in the 1st.  Principia showed a determination on defense that allowed them to hold St. Mary's to 42% shooting, and stepped up their game offensively, showing much more composure and better execution.  The bulk of the scoring was, as usual taken care of by the captains, junior Sarah Corbitt and senior Lindsay Sydness.  Corbitt ended with 16 points and 7 boards, and Sydness contributed 15 points 5 boards and 3 blocks.  Also contributing double-digit scoring was freshman forward Torie DeNicholas who ended with 13 points and 6 boards.  Prin even came back to within 9, but couldn't make the final push to take the lead.  Ultimately, it was the details that kept Principia from succeeding in their final game of 2011, with 22 turnovers and a dismal 47% from the free throw line.  But despite these struggles, Prin remains optimistic and will be looking to work hard over the Christmas holiday in order to be ready to start again in January with solid improvement.

Principia looks to begin the new year with their 3rd conference game scheduled for January 5th, 2012 against Spalding University.  The game is at home and will begin at 6:00 pm.