ELSAH, IL – On Saturday afternoon, the Principia Women's Basketball team played host to the women of Fontbonne University with a chance to get a tighter grip on their first conference playoff berth in 16 years. Unfortunately, the game did not go in the Panthers' favor and they will continue to battle for that opportunity over the next month. Battling for wins and respect has become normal for the Panthers, so the Principia women are up for the challenge.
Both Principia and Fontbonne started the game with some nerves as both teams struggled to get into a scoring position with a couple of turnovers each. Once both teams got their legs under them, they were off to the races. The first was the best quarter for the Panthers as they came out showing their speed and took an early 29-20 lead. The second quarter was all Fontbonne as they found their target from three several times throughout the quarter and had the Panthers on their heels. After some late defensive stops, Principia looked like they would only go into the half down by 3, but Fontbonne's Ja'mise Bailey nailed an almost half-court buzzer beater to put the Griffins' lead at 43-37 at the break.
The third quarter found the Panthers in a some foul trouble as both teams found a good amount of offense. Defensive stops, which propel the offense and have been a staple of the Panthers this season, were hard to come by. The scoring continued back-and-forth all quarter as the Panthers would head to the fourth within striking distance down 8 at 63-55. Unfortunately, fouls began to pile up on Principia which allowed Fontbonne some advantages offensively against a very tired and thin Panther defense. Fontbonne would finish with a program-record 18 threes in the game as they handed the Panthers their first conference loss at home, 82-63.
Coach Ro said afterwards: "The women on this team have done a great job all year of staying out of foul trouble and allowing us to control substitutions and game pace with our short bench. Tonight, we just let it get too far out of hand and it cost us some possessions that we normally get stops on. We will be better prepared for our next matchup on Tuesday, and I know for a fact that the women on this team will be ready to battle for that playoff spot every night from here on out."
The Panthers ended the game with four players scoring in double figures:
Ariana Williams with 17 points,
Brin Hultz with 15 points, and both
Taylor Brown and
Carolina Rojas with 11 points.
Paige Fowler had collected 10 rebounds for her fifth double digit rebounding game of conference play.
Up Next: Principia will head to Westminster College for an big matchup between 5-3 teams on Tuesday at 5:30 pm.
