ELSAH, IL – The Principia Men's Basketball team played host to the Westminster Blue Jays on Thursday in a battle of two SLIAC teams desperate for a win. Both the Panthers and Blue Jays came into today's contest with 1-5 conference record and needed a victory to stay in the hunt for a SLIAC Tournament position. The Panthers held a slight lead throughout the first half, taking a 41-36 lead into halftime. In the second half, Principia would stretch the lead out to 13 before withstanding a rally from Westminster to hold on and win, 78-72.
The Panthers quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a steal and score from
Shemarri Miles. A three pointer from
AJ Byrd and a post move from
Bobby Alford III moved the lead to 15-8 with 14:18 remaining in the half. Westminster would go on a quick 8-1 run, tying the game at 16 at the 12:20 mark. After losing the lead, a three pointer by
Kingsley Cockburn put the Panthers back in front 25-23. After a back and forth rest of the half,
Jordan Williams was able to hit a big three pointer right before the buzzer, giving Principia a 41-36 lead going into the break.
In the second half,
Charley Hoffman set the tone with three lay ups and an assist in the first four minutes to make the score 49-43. Westminster would cut the lead to 4 before an
Isaiah Parker three pushed the lead back to 58-51 with 10:19 left in the game. From there, Principia would rely on
Jaquan Adams to take them to the finish line. Adams scored the last 10 points for the Panthers, including a clutch floater with 24 seconds remaining to push the lead to 4 points. After two free throws from Adams at the end, Principia prevailed over Westminster, 78-72.
Good to Know: The Panthers were led again by
Jaquan Adams. Adams had 21 points and 7 rebounds, and is currently averaging 25.2 points and 9.4 rebounds on the season.
Shemarri Miles and
Jordan Williams also had great games, contributing 14 and 12 points respectively. Miles' 4 assists in the game move him into the top ten in career assists in the program's NCAA era.
Up Next: Principia has a quick turnaround and will play at Blackburn College on Saturday at 3:00 pm. Blackburn is currently 4-3 in SLIAC play, and Principia will look to keep the momentum going and get a victory on the road. Come out and support your Panthers!
