EUREKA, ILL. -- Tonight the Principia College Lady Panthers travelled to Eureka, IL to face the Red Devils of Eureka College.  Despite a long travel day, Principia got off the bus ready to play, matching one of the top teams in SLIAC point for point from the tip-off.  Approximately 10 minutes of solid play from both teams ensued, with the Panthers playing really tough team defense.  The defensive efforts were led by sophomore forward Jessica Bushong who had two highlight-reel blocks and senior captain Sarah Corbitt who had a game high eight steals.  Offensively the same first 10 minutes were solid for the Lady Panthers as well, with sophomore forward Karina Olsen putting on some strong moves down low to draw fouls (she knocked down three of her  attempts from the line) and Corbitt leading some transition attacks.  But around the midpoint of the 1st half, Principia had a mental lapse that saw them go from down just 2 points (11 to 13) to going into the locker room at half time with the same 11 points, now down by 22.

Principia started the second half with a nice offensive set for a quick two, but this would prove to be one of the few and far between for the Panthers the rest of the night.  Continued solid team defense forced the Red Devils into low-percentage shot attempts, but they proved too much on the offensive boards, and continued to build their lead.  The statistical margins weren't large overall, with Principia committing just a few more turnovers, and snagging a few less rebounds, but ultimately it was the lack of offensive efficiency that kept the Panthers from success. Principia shot with confidence from the charity stripe throughout the game, but hesitation and some confusion on offense kept them from ever truly finding a rhythm.  Sophomore guard McKinzie Wilgus hit a couple nice jumpers, and sophomore forward Tory Silver finished a sick pull-up over Eureka's leading scorer, but in the end the Panthers' offensive woes stymied any efforts at a run to close the gap.  Noteworthy statistical contributions include sophomore captain Becca DeNicholas with 8 points, 7 boards and 3 steals on the night, Olsen with another double-digit rebounding outing with 10 total, and Sarah Corbitt with 6 points and 7 boards to go with the aforementioned 8 steals.

Look for the Panthers to play with more offensive confidence in their next conference match-up on Saturday, January 19th, vs. Webster University.  The game is at home and tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.