Panthers Lose to Spalding at Home for First Conference Defeat

ELSAH, IL - Tonight's SLIAC home opener for Principia Men's Basketball was the team's first home game since December 11th. The Spalding Golden Eagles traveled from Kentucky to play tonight, coming in with a conference record of 2-2.

Right from the tip, the Panthers had prepared well defensively and were on top of their game plan. The game started with a bucket in the paint from Nathan Brantingham, and Principia did not let up on both ends of the court for the first ten minutes. After the Panthers took an early lead 12-4, they began to lose their scoring touch as Spalding began to turn it on. The Golden Eagles went on a run of their own over the last ten minutes of the half as they took over the lead and held onto it. The Golden Eagles were poised to go to the half up seven, but a 3-pointer from AJ Byrd at the buzzer cut the lead to 30-26.

The second half was much of the same as the Panthers struggled all night to catch a flow offensively and get going. Despite their mostly stagnant offense, Principia continued to try and stick to the game plan on defense. However, as the second half wore on, Spalding made some important tough buckets to maintain their lead down the stretch. The Panthers made a surge late in the game behind Clark Davidson's strong play in the paint, a few tough finishes inside from Jake Kampf, and a couple clutch 3-pointers from Kevin Wingert. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Golden Eagles held on for a 63-58 victory, handing the Panthers their first conference loss of the season, which drops their SLIAC record to 2-1.

Good To Know: Clark Davidson continued his strong play this season as he led the Panthers with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Three other players finished in double figures: Kampf with 12 points and 3 rebounds, Wingert with 11 points and 2 rebounds, and Byrd with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Jake Kampf hit a three at the final buzzer tonight, and even though it didn't change the outcome like Principia's last game, that is now two games in a row with a buzzer beating 3-pointer for Kampf.

Up Next: This Saturday, the Panthers play down in St. Louis at Webster University. If you are able to make the drive, come and support your guys for a 3 PM game time! If not, check out the streaming link on Men's Basketball schedule.