Elsah, IL—The Principia Men's Basketball Team played host to the Webster University Gorloks in their final home game of the season. The Panthers celebrated their two seniors,
Evan Eisenauer and
Micah Paulson, and capped off an incredible performance with an 88-83 victory over the first-place Gorloks.
Right out of the gate the two seniors made an impact in this game as
Evan Eisenauer sent the first Webster shot right back where it came from and found Junior Trevaughn Goodman for a lay-up on the other end. After another defensive stop,
Micah Paulson got in on the scoring action as he nailed a jumper from just beyond the free-throw line to give the Panthers the lead. For the first 6 minutes of the game the score would go back and forth, but after a 3-pointer from
Micah Paulson with 13:21 left in the half, the Panther offense was off to the races. Exceptional ball movement, unselfish passing, and incredible shooting had Webster on their heels for the greater part of the first half, and the defensive effort from the Panthers kept their lead growing. With 5:21 left in the first half, Junior
Brennan Paulson would knock down a 3-pointer to push the Panther lead to 18 points, their largest of the half. The scoring would continue back and forth for the last 5 minutes of the half until
Micah Paulson raced down the court to put up a last second shot at the buzzer that touched nothing but net and gave the Panthers a 52-36 lead heading into the break.
Coming out of the break, the Panthers knew that the Gorloks would come out focused and try to cut into the lead that the Panthers had built throughout the first half. The first possession of the second half found Webster's Rodson Etienne slashing down the lane for a lay-up, and after another miss by the Panthers on the offensive end, Etienne would again find the bottom of the net to put together 4 quick points in just one minute. This Webster run would prompt a timeout by the Panthers, and the team looked focused and ready to restart their offensive push that carried them through the first half. Goodman would respond with a 4-0 run by himself that would push the lead back to 16 for the Panthers, and it seemed like the early half jitters had all gone for the Panthers at that point.
With 10:21 left in the half,
Micah Paulson would hit yet another 3-pointer that would push the Panther lead to 16, and it looked like the Panthers had this win firmly in their grasp. Webster had other ideas however, and they slowly began to cut into the Panther lead. With 2:27 left in the half, a lay-up from Enrique Tankins would cut the Panther lead to 4 and force the Gorloks to foul the Panthers in the hope of them missing crucial free throws down the stretch. With 31 seconds left and a slim 3-point lead, Freshman
Zack Matters would step to the line for the Panthers and knock down two huge free throws to give the Panthers a 5-point cushion. After two free throws on the other end by Webster, Senior
Evan Eisenauer would step to the line, and the senior leader would nail both free throws to clinch the game for the Panthers. The final score would see the Panthers take this conference game on senior night by a score of 88-83.
Good To Know
The Principia Men's Basketball team had not beaten Webster University since the 2003 season and were a career 3-54 against the Gorloks since entering the SLIAC conference. This win marked the third straight victory for the Panthers and was an excellent send-off for the careers of both Eisenauer and
Micah Paulson.
Micah Paulson also moved into the 1500 point club with 1511 points. He is currently 3rd All Time in Principia NCAA scoring and has done it in only three seasons of play. Both seniors will be greatly missed, and we thank you both for your time in the Men's Basketball Program.
Next Up
The Panthers are not done quite yet as they will travel to Carlinville, IL to take on the Blackburn College Beavers in their next conference matchup this Saturday afternoon. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm.
