ELSAH, IL – After four straight losses, the Principia Women's Basketball team was looking to get back on track on Thursday night against the Spalding University Golden Eagles. A strong start got Principia off on the right foot, and despite some shaky moments as the game wore on, the Panthers put together a solid team performance to get back in the win column. Tonight's victory clinches the Principia women a spot in the SLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2007. After a one-win season last year, the team has made giant strides this season, and this outcome is shining proof of that.
The first quarter started in a familiar fashion from the Panthers' early conference season with a impressive 16-2 for Principia. During this stretch, five Panthers scored in various ways, and the defensive pressure in the half court was a huge difference maker. Spalding regrouped and made a mini run on the Panthers to end the first with the score at 18-10. The second was a back-and-forth affair with the Golden Eagles outscoring the Panthers 14-13 in the quarter. Spalding hit three 3-pointers in the quarter to cut into the lead as the half ended with the Panthers leading 31-24.
The third quarter found Principia in a little more of a defensive mindset with the last 4:11 of the quarter being the break out point. After Spalding cut the lead to four, the Panthers put on a defensive show in the half court and went on a 12-5 run. The Golden Eagles came into the fourth with some jump as they used their inside outside game to erase the Panthers' lead. On the back of strong free throw shooting, Spalding would tie the game at 59 with 5:54 to go.
Freshman
Taylor Brown then took the game into her own hands as she made back-to-back driving layups while drawing a foul. On the second free throw, Brown got her own rebound off a miss and was fouled again. She promptly made both ensuing free throws for a solo 7-0 run. The Panthers didn't look back from there, getting multiple big stops in the final minutes to close out the win, 71-64.
Brown had one her best games of the season finishing with a stacked line of 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal. This is Brown's second collegiate double double.
Paige Fowler added a bounce back performance of her own with 19 points and 5 rebounds.
Ariana Williams and
Carolina Rojas each played strong defensive games with 3 steals and 1 block each.
Up Next: The Panthers have a quick turnaround as they play their final regular season home game on Saturday at 1:00 pm against conference-leading Webster.
