SPRINGFIELD, ILL. - Tonight the Principia College women's basketball team traveled to Springfield, IL to take on the Eagles of Robert Morris University. Off jump the Panthers were out of sync offensively, struggling to hit open shots and to run a cohesive offense. The lone anchor offensively was junior transfer Kara Johnson, who played strong inside, hitting some clutch buckets early to get the Panthers on the board. As the half progressed, Principia continued to search for the magical combination offensively. With both Panther big men out with foul trouble, senior captain Becca DeNicholas led the attack, helping to carry Principia into the half with a slim 25-21 lead.
Unfortunately, the lack of continuity continued in the 2nd half for Principia. While starting to find the bottom of the net offensively, the struggle now switched to defense. The Robert Morris guards began to heat up, hitting some deep threes that allowed them to hang around and eventually take the lead. As the clock wound down the Panthers were forced to foul to stop the clock, sending an Eagle to the free throw line where she hit both attempts, putting Robert Morris up 58-55. Principia called their last time out and drew up a play for freshman small forward Megan Selby, who came off a screen and hit a three to tie the game and send the Panthers into overtime.
In extra time, Principia finally played some recognizable basketball. With senior captain Karina Olsen hitting the first basket of overtime, the Panthers took a lead they would never relinquish. Leading the charge in OT was sophomore forward Rachel Perea, who scored 6 of her 15 points in the extra time. A crucial three from DeNicholas secured the Panther momentum, and Principia came away with a solid, if rocky, 72-64 victory. Notable statistical contributions include Selby with 11 points and a career high 6 rebounds, Perea with 15 points and a near perfect record from the line (she went 5-6 from the charity stripe), and Johnson who despite fouling out at the very end of regulation, came away with a game high 23 points and 11 boards.
The Panthers play next in Jacksonville, IL this coming Saturday, January 24th, at MacMurray College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
