Box Score CARLINVILLE, ILL. - This afternoon the Principia College women's basketball team traveled to Carlinville, IL in pursuit of their first conference victory of the season. Facing the Beavers of Blackburn College for the first time, the Lady Panthers got off to a decent start, hitting some outside shots against the Blackburn defense, and getting out in transition for some easy inside looks. However, unable to find a defensive cohesiveness early, Principia allowed the Beavers to match them basket for basket, particularly having trouble with Beaver forward Briana Rae, the current leading scorer in the SLIAC. Switching into zone, the Panthers were able to gain some defensive traction, and solid outside shots from shooting guards
McKinzie Wilgus and
Yulia Marquardt (she hit back to back threes in the first half) helped the Panthers to widen their lead. Principia was also aided by the aggressive play of junior forward
Kara Johnson, who presented a formidable force on defense. This, combined with the attacking play of sophomore forward
Rachel Perea allowed the Panthers to head into the lockerroom at halftime up 35-26.
The 2nd half was more of the same for the Panthers who showed a brief slump halfway through the 2nd half, allowing the Beavers to cut the lead to one point while senior captain
Karina Olsen was on the bench in foul trouble. However, Principia was able to keep their composure and refocus, going on an 8-0 run to put the Beavers on their heels. The Panther back line on defense (Perea, Olsen, and Johnson) were able to keep the interior scoring of Blackburn under control, and the Panthers went up 19 as the clock wound down, with a few trips to the free throw line for the Beavers allowing them to cut the lead down before the final buzzer. Overall, the Panthers got valuable minutes for every member of the squad, and came away with their first conference victory of the season, defeating Blackburn Collge 64-51. Notable statistical contributions include double-double performances from Johnson (15 points, 16 boards) and Perea (game high 20 points and 14 rebounds). Senior captain
Becca DeNicholas logged a game high 5 assists.
The Panthers will play next away at Eureka College this coming Tuesday, January 13th, at 6:00 pm.
