EUREKA, IL – The Principia women's basketball team secured their third straight conference win in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon at Eureka College. After trailing for much of the second half, the Panthers stormed back in the final minutes to tie the game with 14 seconds to go. A crucial steal on defense then led to the game-winning bucket with less than a second remaining as Principia escaped with a 63-61 victory.
The first half stayed close throughout with seven lead changes and neither team leading by more than five. After the Panthers went into the halftime break holding a slim 36-33 lead, they would break their recent trend of the third quarter being their strongest period. Principia was outscored 17-9 in the third to fall behind by five heading into the fourth.
The Red Devils lead would hold steady for most of the final quarter, and they led by six with only 3:36 to play. An
Ariana Williams lay up followed by a
Taylor Brown three-pointer cut the deficit to one with 2:18 remaining. Several scoreless possessions later,
Lamiya Terrell tied the game with a free throw with just over a minute left. Eureka hit a jumper with 26 seconds left to retake the lead, but after
Genesis Santiago was fouled on the ensuing Panthers possession, she stepped up and hit both free throws to tie the game back up with 14 seconds left. As Eureka looked for a game-winner, Williams stole the ball and drove down the court, but her lay up attempt was too strong off the backboard. Thankfully for the Panthers, Terrell was in perfect position for a quick put back to beat the buzzer and give Principia a crucial SLIAC road win.
Taylor Brown continued her strong start to the season with a team-high 17 points, while also adding 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Ariana Williams recorded her second double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, plus 3 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal.
Lamiya Terrell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and a steal.
Principia is now 3-0 in conference play to start the season and will pause conference games until the beginning of January. The Panthers next game is an exhibition at Lincoln University on Saturday at 1:00 pm before one final home game of 2024 on Tuesday, December 17th at 6:00 pm vs Harris-Stowe.
