Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - This afternoon Men's Basketball traveled to Jacksonville, Ill. to take on the MacMurray College Highlanders in their final game before Christmas. Looking to get their first conference victory of the season, the Panthers got off to a bit of a rocky start, struggling to find an offensive rhythm and turning the ball over in the face of the Highlander press. In fact, turnovers plagued the Panthers all night (they had 23 on the night) along with missed free throws which kept Principia from gaining any offensive traction. However, despite the slow start the Panthers were only trailing by two halfway through the 1st half, actually tying the ball game at 18-18 with a dunk from junior center
Justin Ball. This was almost immediately followed by a lay-up from freshman guard Kaylin Hernandez-Beiner to take a brief one point lead at the 9:20 mark. Unfortunately, the Panthers then hit a brutal offensive drought, scoring just two points in the final nine minutes of the half on separate trips the the free throw line (Principia shot a lackluster 5-15 from the line in the 1st half alone) and had to head into the locker room down 22-34.
The 2nd half was more of the same for Principia, as their offensive woes continued and the Highlanders were able to gradually grow their lead. Some late threes from sophomore shooting guard
Parker Davidson were a brief spark for the Panthers offensively, but the MacMurray onslaught continued and Principia was never able to regain a foothold in the game. Double-digit scoring from four of the five Panther starters proved not enought to keep the score close - Ball and Davidson had 16 and 12 respectively - and the Highlanders came away with their 2nd conference victory of the season, winning the game 84-58.
Men's Basketball is now done with competition until after Christmas. Their next game is scheduled for Thursday, Decemeber 30th at Missouri S&T. Tip-off is set for 2:00 pm.
