Elsah, Ill. --  This afternoon the Principia College women's basketball team faced the Griffins of Fontbonne University in their 2nd and final meeting of the season.  Off to a strong start defensively, the Panthers were ready to take the game from the beginning, hoping to even the score at one game apiece.  Principia shot 40% from the field in the 1st, while holding the Griffins to just 23%, but a couple of turnovers allowed Fontbonne to gain a few easy buckets.  Winning the rebounding battle in the 1st half, Principia was getting after every ball, led in large part by sophomore forwards Karina Olsen and Jessica Bushong (Olsen had 10 boards in the 1st).  On the offensive end, Principia was sparked by sophomore captain Becca DeNicholas who attacked the basket with confidence and made some key passes (she had 3 assists on the game).  The battle stayed pretty even though, despite the gap in shooting percentages, and the Panthers went into the locker room at halftime tied at 22 all.

    Having committed to coming out strong in the 2nd half, the Panther went up by 3 pretty quick to start the second 20 minutes, but a lackluster effort on the boards to start allowed Fontbonne to start to gain a bit of a lead.  With 18 offensive boards to Principia's 6, Fontbonne was able to get several high percentage 2nd chance looks, and were also able to draw fouls.  In fact, the points from the charity stripe were the deciding factor in the game.  Principia shot a mere 3 for 8 from the line, while Fontbonne made 22 of their 32 free throw attempts.  Losing the game by 10 points, it was clear that losing the rebounding game was ultimately the downfall for the Panthers.

    Despite the loss, the Panthes showed great improvement on defense, and saw some great things on offense, including some great team transition for easy buckets.  Significant statistical contributions include Jessica Bushong who had 5 points and 10 boards, as well as a game high 5 blocks.  Karina Olsen ended the night with a career high 18 rebounds to which she added 8 points and 2 blocks.  Becca DeNicholas had 12 points for the night, which tied her for leading scorer with senior captain Sarah Corbitt who added 4 boards and 4 assists to her dozen.

    The Panthers play next on Tuesday, February 5th at Webster University in St. Louis.  Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.