Elsah, Ill. - This afternoon the Principia College women's basketball team faced the Blue Jays of Westminster College in their last conference game of 2013.  Off to a sloppy and unengaged start, the Panthers found themselves down 0-14 before a bucket from junior captain Becca DeNicholas broke the ice and put Principia on the board.  Facing a feisty Jays defense, the Panthers struggled to find an offensive flow, hitting just two field goals in the 1st half.  Most of the Panther points in the 1st came from the free throw line (they went 6-8 in the 1st half, 12-15 on the game).  Some strong post defense from freshman forward Isabella Perea help keep the Jays at bay inside, but strong shooting from the Westminster guards helped to widen the lead.

Scoring-wise, the Panthers actually won the 2nd half, but the intensity and focus that was needed against a solid conference opponent like Westminster was never really found.  A spark was brought off the bench from senior guard Hayley Cooke, who came in and hit a nice jumper from the left wing.  Junior captain Karina Olsen found some offensive energy in the 2nd half and shot 5-5 from the field for 10 points.  Junior guards Becca DeNicholas and McKinzie Wilgus also contributed some solid shooting, going for a combined 4 for 6 from the field for 10 points.  And freshman forward Rachel Perea had a game high 12 points and 7 boards, to which she added 3 steals.

The Lady Panthers now have a break for the Christmas holidays and will resume competition on Tuesday, January 7th against the Gorlocks of Webster University.  Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM.