Elsah, IL—The Principia Men's Basketball team took on the Fontbonne University Griffin's in their latest SLIAC matchup. The game was back and forth throughout, but Fontbonne would ultimately score on a last second shot to sink the Panthers at home and take this game by a score of 90-89.
The first half of this game was a very even affair as both teams never seemed to gain control, with both teams making early runs throughout the first few minutes. Freshman
Clark Davidson got the scoring started early for the Panthers with a nice finish in the paint, and then Junior
TreVaughn Goodman followed that up with a slashing lay-up of his own. Fontbonne would respond quickly with a 3-pointer from Carter Otwell, and then Jared Woodcock would follow with a 3-pointer of his own that would put the Griffins in the lead. This back and forth scoring would continue with neither team gaining a sizable advantage, as both offenses seemed to be scoring at will. With 12 seconds left in the half, Junior
Brennan Paulson hit a running floater that put the Panthers up by 2, and they would head into the locker room leading the Griffins 47-45.
Coming out of halftime, the Panthers really wanted to continue to push their lead and not let Fontbonne back into the game. Another lay-up by
Clark Davidson put the Panthers up by 4 early, and the second half seemed to be off to a roaring start. Just 4 minutes later however, the Panthers began to struggle offensively. Fontbonne capitalized on multiple turnovers from the Panthers, and with 13 minutes to go, the Panthers found themselves down 62-53. The team did not quit however, and after a couple of free throws from Goodman, the Panthers were down two with 9 minutes remaining. Once again, Fontbonne would go on a run that would put them up by 13 points with 5 minutes remaining, and things were not looking good for the Panthers. This team however refused to give up, and after some timely scoring and defensive stops, Fontbonne only led by 1 with 57 seconds remaining. After a defensive stop, the Panthers came down the court and
Micah Paulson found Davidson underneath the basket for a contested finish that put the Panthers up by 1 with 7 seconds left. After a timeout, Fontbonne inbounded the ball, and Kris McCann raced up the court and put up a contested lay-up that just missed being blocked by the Panther defense and rolled in to give Fontbonne the heartbreaking victory 90-89.
Good To Know
Freshman
Clark Davidson recorded his fourth straight double-double tonight as he finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Junior
TreVaughn Goodman finished with a double-double as well pouring in 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
The Panthers will travel to Mount Pleasant, IA to take on the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers in their next SLIAC matchup this Tuesday. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm.
