Elsah, IL – The Principia Men's Basketball team hosted the Blackburn College Beavers in a game that featured two teams that were both in need of a win. The Panthers were looking to bounce back from a home loss the week before with some extra rest after a game was canceled over the weekend. This game would come down to the final shot, but the Panthers would wind up taking this SLIAC matchup against the Beavers by a score of 70-68.
The Panthers looked to start off strong in this game after struggling to get going early in their previous two games. The game started off with some back and forth action as both teams tried to find their footing in the first few minutes, with the scoring being evenly matched in this high-paced game. Freshman
Clark Davidson got the scoring started for the Panthers with a free throw, then
TreVaughn Goodman would follow with a shot of his own, and
Micah Paulson would give the Panthers the lead with a 3-pointer early on in the half. The next few minutes would see both teams trading baskets as neither team was able to gain a sizable advantage until another 3-pointer by
Micah Paulson would push the Panther lead up to 8, their highest of the half. Blackburn would battle back and take the lead on a lay-up from Karson Hayed with 1:57 remaining in the half, but a lay-up by
Clark Davidson would even the score at 35-35 heading into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Panthers came out of the gates firing with a lay-up from Davidson, four lay-ups from Goodman, a shot from
Zack Matters, and another 3-pointer from
Micah Paulson that pushed the Panther lead to 50-38 with 14 minutes left in the game. Blackburn however, would not go away quietly as they responded with a 12-0 run themselves that tied the game at 50 with 11 minutes to go. The final 11 minutes would see the Panthers stretch their lead all the way back to 7 points, but that lead would eventually dwindle all the way down to 2 points after a lay-up from Blackburn's Nigel Ferrell with 1 minute to go. After a missed free throw by the Panthers, Blackburn held the ball for the final shot. A three-point attempt from Duncan King with 1 second left was wide right, and the Panthers would hold on for the 70-68 victory.
Good To Know
Clark Davidson had an outstanding game for the Panthers tonight as he tallied a monster double-double of 25 points and 17 rebounds, both of which were season highs.
Junior
TreVaughn Goodman finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, and senior
Micah Paulson poured in 22 points to go with 6 rebounds.
Up Next
The Panthers will travel to Louisville, KY to take on the Spalding Golden Eagles in their next SLIAC matchup this Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm (EST).
