Jacksonville, Ill. -- Tonight the Principia College women's basketball team faced the Lady Highlanders of MacMurray College.  Their 2nd game of the new year, Principia came out with lots of spirit, making some nice stands on defense and converting at the other end with several solid offensive plays.  The score went back and forth, with neither team taking a clear advantage, even though Prin shot an above-average 52% from the field.  In particular, Prin got a lot of offensive production from freshman forward Torie DeNicholas, who scored a collegiate career high of 11 points, shooting a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc.  Principia shot well, but MacMurray often found a answer, and after a back and forth battle, both teams exited the court at half time with a score of 27-30 in favor of Principia.

In the 2nd half, Principia came out and built on their lead, at one point gaining a 7 point advantage over the Highlanders.  But the lead would not last for long.  After a brief flurry of offensive activity, MacMurray took the lead and never relinquished it.  The game was close until the end, when Principia resorted to the foul game to try and close the gap.  But in the end, MacMurray pulled away with a final score of 57-49.

Despite the loss, Principia made huge improvements in several areas.  Most notable was the turnover column, where Prin logged just 13 turnovers, compared to MacMurray's 18.  In the end it came down to free throws (Prin shot a dismal 38% from the line) and botched rebounds (Prin got out-rebounded 20-31).  Prin had 3 players in double figures with captains Lindsay Sydness and Sarah Corbitt adding 13 and 16 respectively to Torie DeNicholas's 11. DeNicholas added 6 boards and Sydness had a game high of 7 rebounds.  

Principia plays next at home versus last season's conference champions, Westminster College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.