Box Score ELSAH—The Panthers came out firing today at home. In front of a great crowd, the team was able to put up their most points of the season in route to a 93-86 conference win over the Eureka Red Devils.
The Panthers came out extremely hot scoring the first nine points of the game. Senior
Adaku Anumu hit a tough 3-pointer to start things off followed by a put-back layup from junior
Parker Davidson and Eureka was forced to call a timeout. After the quick break the Panthers scored again, this time on a layup from freshman TreVaugh Goodman. After Eureka got a bucket to stop the run the Panthers came back strong again and got two free throws from Goodman and a nice post move from senior
Justin Ball to make the score 15-3.
After the strong start Eureka was able to fight back into the game going on a run of their own and with 12:27 they had taken the lead back from the Panthers 16-15. The teams traded the lead back and forth over the next five minutes until the Panthers went on a 7-0 run on the back of two buckets from sophomore
Micah Paulson and another bucket from Anumu.
Eureka clawed back over the last five-minute stretch of the half and the Panthers went to the break with a 45-44 lead. At the half Anumu and Goodman were both in double figures with 11 points.
The Red Devils and the Panthers battled pretty evenly for the first four minitues of the second half before
Justin Ball scored a bucket to give the team a six-point lead. The Panthers hung onto the lead and ended up extending it at the 11:45 mark when Goodman scored a transition bucket to put the team up 65-58.
Eureka wouldn't go down quietly and got back into it tying the game with 7:18 left. Two minutes later Eureka took the lead for their last time. A possession after giving up the lead Davidson nailed a three from the wing to put the team back on top and the Panthers never looked back. After the Davidson deep ball Goodman scored in the open court and the Panthers were able to take a four-point lead. After a clutch long ball from Paulson Eureka was forced to play the foul game. The Panthers hit enough free throws down the stretch to clinch 93-86 win.
The team had four players in double figures. Goodman led the way with 23. Paulson had 21, Anumu had 17, and Davidson had 14. Davidson grabbed 14 rebounds as well including 12 in the second half recording yet another double-double, his third in a row, and now has eight in his last nine games.
Up next the Panthers take on the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers at home on Tuesday.
