CARLINVILLE, IL - Principia Men's Basketball traveled to Blackburn College on Thursday night to square off with the top team in the conference thus far. This was a make up game that was originally postponed from January 15th due to Covid-19 protocols. The Panthers were focused coming into the game to get back on track in the conference standings. The Panthers are almost halfway through their conference schedule and need some big wins to help keep the momentum going in a positive direction. Unfortunately, despite clawing their way back from an 18 point deficit, Principia came up short in the end.
The Panthers struggled to score for most of the first half, as they fell behind 27-9 after the first 15 minutes. Fortunately, they were able to improve on defense for the majority of the game after that. Clark Davidson also turned things on and went on a tear over the last five minutes of the half, helping the Panthers finish on a 14-4 run. Davidson was 5/6 from the field in the first half, while the rest of the team shot a brutal 4/20. Despite the scoring struggles, Principia was only down by eight at the break.
At the start the second half, Principia worked hard in the paint to get even with the Beavers. Blackburn ran a 1-2-2 most of the game, and the Panthers started to gain an advantage against their scheme as their offense started clicking better and they were able to string together some defensive stops early on in the second. Slowly but surely, the Panthers closed the gap, until with 12 minutes to go, an AJ Byrd 3-pointer from the corner gave Principia the lead 37-35. The lead was short lived as the Beavers switched their game plan to man on defense, causing the Panthers to become stagnant on offense. Blackburn gradually rebuilt their lead, and with two minutes left, the Beavers put the game away on a transition, alley-oop dunk. The Panthers would ultimately fall to Blackburn, 69-56.
Good To Know: Clark Davidson and his buddy in the paint, Nathan Brantingham, had solid games with some tough defense inside. Davidson finished with 21 points and 9 boards, while Brantingham had 8 points and 9 rebounds. Jake Kampf finished with 10 points and 4 assists, and fellow guard AJ Byrd had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Up Next: The Panthers return home for four straight home games in eight days! First up, Principia will take on Greenville University on Saturday at 3 PM. This will be the second matchup against Greenville this season - the first game being a historic 128-119 win for the Panthers (NCAA school records 49 points from Brantingham and 15 assists from Wingert). Come pack Hay Field House and support your guys!
