Box Score Elsah, Ill. - Tonight the Principia College women's basketball team faced the Golden Eagles of Spaldng University in thier 2nd match-up of the season. The 2nd ranked team in the conference, Spalding came out hard to start the 1st half, and a general lack of intensity on defense caused the Principia squad to get down 11-0 before deciding to play Panther basketball. After that lapse however, Principia showed example after example of all the hard work they have been putting in. Finding their rhythm offensively, the Panters slowly chipped away at the lead, cutting it to 5 before the Eagles made another run. The Panther's 1st half success was due in large part to the continued stellar play of junior captain
Karina Olsen who was 5 for 5 from the field in the 1st with 11 points and 9 rebounds going into the break. Having fought hard for 17 minutes of the half, the Panthers went into the locker room at half time down 24-35, having played Spalding even after the 11 point lapse.
The start of the 2nd half was again rocky, and by the time the Panthers found their bearings, Spalding had taken a commanding lead. Determined not to give up however, Principia started to play some of their best offense of the season, truly playing as a 5-man unit at the offensive end. This was evidenced in large part by the season high 21 assists the Panthers logged for the game. A dominating presence at both ends of the floor, freshman forward
Rachel Perea was a huge spark for Principia, scoring 11 of her game high 18 points in the 2nd half. Another spark came in the form of senior guard
Hayley Cooke, who had a sweet assist and a solid finish for an and one to bring the Lady Panthers to the conclusion of the game. The Panthers fought hard to the final buzzer, and despite the score showing a 19 point loss, the game was further proof of the hard work and improvement of this Principia squad. Notable statistical contributions include Perea with the aforementioned 18 points, to which she added 10 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. And
Karina Olsen had an excellent repeat double-double performance with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and a career high 7 assists.
The Lady Panthers are back in action this coming Saturday, February 15th, at Eureka College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
