PARAGOULD, ARK. - Yesterday afternoon the Principia College women's basketball team faced the Lady Pioneers of Crowley's Ridge College in their first game of the season. In front of a solid crowd, the Pioneers hit the first two buckets of the game to go up on the Panthers, but senior shooting guard
McKinzie Wilgus was able to answer on the next two possessions with back to back threes, giving the Panthers a lead that they never relinquished. The suprisingly scrappy CRC squad pressed Principia and crashed the boards, but were unable to take back a lead, largerly due to the composure and rebounding of senior captain
Becca DeNicholas who had 6 of her 8 boards in the 1st half. Balanced scoring and solid free throw shooting (the Panthers were 10 of 11 from the charity stripe in the 1st) kept Principia in control, and the Panthers were able to head into the locker room at halftime with a 31-23 lead.
The 2nd half saw a renewed effort from the Panthers to box out and rebound the basketball, led by the efforts of senior captain
Karina Olsen who had a game high 11 boards on the game. Junior transfer
Kara Johnson kept numerous possessions alive with her willingness to get after the ball, as well as efficiently putting the ball in the basket (Johnson shot 50% from the field and had a game high 23 points in her debut outing for the Panthers). Crowley's Ridge did not roll over easily however, and despite being down 15 at one point, CRC cut the lead to 5 as the end of the half was approaching. With the Panthers up just 6 points with under 6 minutes to play, freshman guard
Yulia Marquardt hit a crucial three from the left wing which helped shift the momentum back into the Panther's control. Down the stretch Principia was able to step to the line and sink their free throws (they shot 22 for 25 on the game), effectively icing the game. At the final buzzer, Principia had four of their five starters in double figures, winning the game 73-60. Olsen added 13 points to her 11 rebounds for a double-double, Wilgus finished with 10, shooting 50% from beyond the arc and 100% from the line, and sophomore forward
Rachel Perea had 15 points and 5 boards to which she added a game high 5 assists.
The Panthers play next this coming Thursday, November 20th in their home opener vs. Robert Morris University-Springfield. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
