Elsah, IL—The Panthers played host to the Webster University Gorloks in their latest conference matchup this evening in Hay Field House. The Panthers were hoping to dig in on the defensive end in this contest and control the flow of the game on both ends of the court, but another high scoring affair proved too much for the Panthers as they fell to the Gorloks by a score of 94-78.
The Panthers got on the board first when sophomore AJ Byrd hit one of two free throws to give the Panthers a quick 1-point lead. It was shortly erased after a layup from Webster's Enrique Tankins, and both teams were off to the races. The big moment in the half for the Panthers hit when they trailed by four points early in the game. Byrd took a drive baseline and rise up over two Webster defenders to throw down a monstrous one-handed dunk, getting everyone in the gym out of their seats. Fellow sophomore Payton Sellers followed that with a lay-up to help the Panthers capture a huge boost of momentum early on. They even went up by as many as five points in the first half, but some defensive miscues and turnovers helped Webster start to create a lead of their own as the half wore on. The Panthers never quit however, as a three-pointer from Sellers cut the Gorlok lead to seven when the teams made their way into the locker room for halftime.
Coming out of halftime it was imperative that the Panthers start quick and get momentum back, which they were able to do almost immediately. A Sellers three-pointer followed by a Clark Davidson lay-up, and then two more deep balls from Sellers got the crowd back on their feet. The Panthers then held a four-point lead just two and a half minutes into the second half, and once they had momentum it became all about keeping the Gorloks at bay to hold on to their lead. Once again though, the turnovers and defensive miscues made an appearance. The Panthers slowly let their lead slip away and were unable to stop the Gorloks on the defensive end, while also failing to muster one last run before the final buzzer sounded. After a well fought game the Panthers came up short to the Gorloks, 78-94.
Good to Know—Sophomore Payton Sellers was the high scorer for the Panthers tonight as he shot 6-10 from 3-point land and poured in 22 total points on the night. AJ Byrd finished with 19 points of his own to go along with 3 assists, and TreVaughn Goodman finished with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Up Next—The Panthers will travel to Louisville, KY to take on the Spalding Golden Eagles in their next conference matchup this Saturday at 2 pm eastern time.
