WEBSTER GROVES, MO – The Principia men's basketball team had a great showing in the 2024 Gorlok Classic this weekend hosted by Webster University this weekend. Of the four teams participating, the Panthers were the only team to finish 2-0 as they beat Monmouth 65-62 on Friday and then defeated Central Christian College of the Bible 96-79 on Saturday.
In Friday's matchup with Monmouth, the Panthers got off to a slow start and found themselves down by 16 with 4:23 remaining in the first half. Then in the span of two minutes,
Kingsley Cockburn knocked down three big three-pointers to cut the lead to 34-27. A lay up by
Nolan Simon got the deficit down to just three in the final minute, but Monmouth hit a bucket at the buzzer to go into halftime up 36-31.
A six-point run early in the second half allowed Principia to take the lead 42-41 with 14:25 remaining, and the rest of the contest was a back-and-forth battle with six more lead changes. Down by three in the final minute,
Nolan Simon took over the game and scored the final six points, including the game-winning jumper with 15 seconds left. Simon grabbed the ensuing defensive rebound and hit two clutch free throws before Monmouth's final attempt to force OT went off the rim. The victory for the Panthers marks the program's first ever win over Monmouth as they were 0-5 previously.
On Saturday, Principia rode the momentum of their back-to-back comeback road wins as the offense heated up for the team's highest scoring game of the season. In the first half, Central Christian kept up with Principia's hot shooting as the team traded blows and the Panthers went into the break up 48-43. Principia began to pull away after halftime and the Panthers steadily grew their lead throughout the second half to win by 17.
Eaton Smith had his best day as a Panther as he was a monster on the glass all game and finished with a massive double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds. It is just the third time in the program's NCAA era that a player has grabbed at least 20 boards in a game.
By virtue of Monmouth defeating Webster in the final game of the tournament, the Panthers were crowned champions of the 2024 Gorlok Classic.
Nolan Simon was named Tournament MVP after leading the Panthers in points in both games (16 on Friday, 22 on Saturday) along with his heroics vs Monmouth.
Jordan Williams also had a strong tournament averaging 13.5 points per game, while
Kingsley Cockburn was on fire from deep as he hit four threes in each game.
The two wins improve Principia's record to 4-6 on the season, and they will look to build on their three-game win streak after Christmas break. After an exhibition game at Missouri S&T on December 31st, the Panthers will jump back into SLIAC play when they host Fontbonne on Saturday, January 4th at 3:00 pm.
