Box Score ELSAH, Ill. – In their 1st home game of the new year, the Principia College women's basketball team hosted the Blackburn College Beavers tonight, marking the first meeting for these two teams this season. It was evident from the very start that Principia was in for a long night, as they struggled to find any sort of rhythm offensively, and Blackburn's scrappy play won them several loose balls and extra possessions that kept the Panthers down for most of the first half. However, with about 4 minutes left to play in the 2
nd quarter, the Panthers caught a bit of team fire, going up 27-21 before the Beavers would answer with their own bucket. The battle continued back and forth until the buzzer sounded half time, and the Panthers had a one point lead, up 29-28.
But as the 2
nd half began, it was clear that Principia was still struggling to find an offensive flow, and despite very strong interior play from freshman center
Sophia Hathaway and senior captain
Kara Johnson (they both finished with double-doubles), the Panthers gradually fell behind to the scrappy Blackburn squad. At the final buzzer, Blackburn came away with the nine point victory, 63-54. Notable statistical contributions include Hathaway with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Johnson who had a team high 20 points and a game high 14 boards.
The Panthers are back at home for their next game on Saturday, January 9
th versus conference opponent Spalding University. Tip-off is at 1:00 pm.
