Box Score ELSAH, ILL. - Tonight the women's basketball team hosted the Fontbonne University Griffins in their first conference match-up of the season. Off to a strong start, Principia showed a previously unseen composure on offense, passing the ball with precision and finding open Panthers all over the floor. Principia was up early, with the majority of their points coming from inside due to solid play from forwards
Karina Olsen and
Kara Johnson (they had 8 and 15 respectively in the 1st half). The Panthers also started to show some life from the perimeter, with freshman shooting guard
Megan Selby hitting a critical 1st half three to give the Panthers some momentum. However, despite having as large as an eight point lead, turnovers and some defensive lapses by the Panthers kept the Griffins in the game, and the buzzer sounded at half with just a one point advantage to Principia, 31-30.
In the 2nd half the Panthers continued to show improvement on offense, but neither squad was able to take control of the lead. Olsen and Johnson continued to produce inside, but struggles from the outside kept the Panthers from breaking the game open. With just two minutes left to play, the Panthers had a 56-53 lead, but a few defensive breakdowns and a costly turnover allowed Fontbonne to take a two point lead with just over 6 seconds to play. Senior captain
Becca DeNicholas snagged the rebound and went the full length of the floor, laying it off to an open Olsen who couldn't quite get her shot to fall before the final buzzer, ending in a 56-58 Fontbonne victory.
Despite the loss, Principia competed strongly as a team and showed marked improvement from their previous four match-ups. Olsen ended with a double-double, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Johnson ended with a game high 21 points, to which she added 7 boards.
Principia plays next at home this coming Saturday, Decemeber 6th against conference opponent Webster University. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
