St. Louis, MO—The Principia Men's Basketball team traveled down to St. Louis to take on the Fontbonne University Griffins in their latest conference matchup. After a back and forth first half, a strong second half push from the Griffins and some full-court pressure proved too much for the Panthers as they fell by a score of 76-87.
The Panthers started off strong in this one as both TreVaughn Goodman and AJ Byrd slashed through the lane for lay-ups to get the scoring started and put the Griffins back on their heels. Fontbonne responded with a 5-0 run and both teams were off to the races. Throughout the first half the Panthers used a myriad of different defenses to keep the Griffins on their heels. This strategy seemed to pay off as they were able to force the Griffins into tough shots and execute their offensive sets on the other end. One area the Panthers did capitalize on was the drive and kick, where the guards slashed into the lane to find either a big man or an open shooter, and resulting in baskets that got the team feeling good throughout the first half. The Griffins responded with multiple transition baskets as the Panthers struggled to match up on defense, and the teams continued to trade scores and the lead as the half wore on. On the final possession of the half, sophomore Zack Matters knocked down a corner three off a beautiful pass from Byrd and the Panthers headed into the locker room down one, 30-31.
Coming out of halftime, the Panthers wanted to continue to execute on both ends of the court and keep the Griffins on their heels by using multiple defenses. However, the Griffins quickly used their transition offense to push their lead to nine just four minutes into the half. After a quick timeout the Panthers looked to get back into the game, but renewed pressure from Fontbonne forced repeated turnovers from the Panthers, and before the team knew it they were in a 20-point hole. As the half wore on, the Panthers tried to get themselves back into it, but the hole they dug themselves over the middle stretch of the half was too difficult to overcome. After a solid, competitive first half, the second half deficit was too much for the Panthers and they fell to the Griffins by a score of 76-87.
Good to Know—Senior TreVaughn Goodman had an excellent game for the Panthers as he recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists on 8-14 shooting. Sophomore Clark Davidson also had a productive game as he recorded 21 points and 9 rebounds.
Up Next—The Panthers will be home for their next contest against the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers this Saturday at 3:00 pm, immediately following the women's game. See you there!
