Principia Battles Hard Against Top Ranked Washu But Losses Late

Elsah, Il- The Principia Panthers hosted top ranked Washington University Bears in their home opener on Tuesday evening. Washington University came into the game off of a big win versus the #6 team in the nation and provided a stiff challenge for the Panthers. Principia was up to the test as they looked to bounce back from two tough overtime losses. In the end the Bears were able to come up with the 71-57 win.

The Panthers came into the game with extremely high energy and execution. Some active defense and quick transition buckets got started the game on the right foot as Principia was able to take a 7 point advantage just 5 minutes into the game. In a two minute period both teams struggled to score and turned the ball over multiple times before a timely three point shot by freshman Payton Sellers. The Panthers took a 16-7 lead holding the Bears to just 7 points in the first 8 minutes of the game. Washington University scrapped their way back into the game and cut the lead down to 2 points, but Prin continued good first half play and pushed the lead back to 8. Just before half Principia had a few lapses on the offensive end which allowed the Bears to cut down that lead with a halftime score of 31-30 in favor of the Panthers.

The second half started off slowly for Principia as they tried to match the energy of the first half. Offensive charges which are both fouls and turnovers proved to play a big factor in the game as Washington University was able to go up by 9 points just 6 minutes into the second half. The game seemed to hang in the balance of a 9 point difference for several minutes as Principia battled evenly. Once again foul trouble for the Panthers allowed the game to slip away from them. The final score of the game was 71-57 in favor of Washington University.

Principia showed what they are capable of against a top team and looks to use this momentum moving forward into SLIAC conference play.  

Good to Know
Freshman Payton Sellers played some big minutes as he picked up his defensive intensity and hit some timely threes to ignite the team, as well as a monster two handed block in transition. He finished the game as the second leading scorer for the Panthers with 10 points.

Up Next
The Panthers travel to Iowa to play the first conference game of the season against Iowa Wesleyan University at 7 pm.