Elsah, Ill. - Tonight, the Principia Women's basketball team took on the Webster University Gorloks in a game originally scheduled for Tuesday, but had to be rescheduled due to snow. The game was a close and intense battle for the first 25 minutes of the game until foul trouble severely crippled the Panthers, allowing the Gorloks to run away with the victory by a score of 63-46.

From the tip, the Panthers team was eager to show just how hard they have been working. With intense and smart defense, they were able to force the Gorloks into turnovers. The Panthers also played well on offense when they did not turn the ball over. They were able to unitize their speed on the perimeter to get into the lane and create for their teammates. In the first half, the Panthers not only kept the score close, but at times were able to dominate play with their aggressiveness. They were able to outrebound the Gorloks 15-10 in the first half, and had 7 steals in the first half as well. Unfortunately, with 12 turnovers in the 1st half, the Panthers went into the break down 24-20. 

In the second half, the Panthers started out well, but slowly their defense deteriorated and the Gorloks were able to capitalize. After playing some sloppy and undisciplined defense, both Karina Olsen and Rachel Perea had 4 fouls with 14 minutes to play. The game slowly got away from the Panthers as they were unable to contain the Gorloks inside attack with their two posts on the bench with foul trouble.

Some outstanding efforts that deserve recognition are that of Karina Olsen, who played excellent defense on the inside and finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Spencer Randolph played nearly the whole game and finished with 11 points and 3 assists. Summer Switzer was a huge presence on the boards and finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. Lastly, Rachel Perea had a tremendous all around game. Despite only scoring 4 points, Perea had 6 rebounds, 6 steals, and 7 assists with zero turnovers.

The Panthers certainly made progress in tonight's game, and played as well as they have all season for certain periods of time. They have a quick turnaround and play a very good Iowa Wesleyan team in two days on Saturday. This game is at home at 1PM, and we hope to see all our fans at the game!