ELSAH, Ill. – The Spalding University men's basketball team held off a late run to top Principia, 73-66, Saturday afternoon at Hay Field House in Elsah, Ill. With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 5-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

Nick Trisko tallied his fifth double-double of the season to lead Spalding with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Goeing added 20 points, and James Turner finished with 14 points and five assists. Adaku Anumu paced Principia with a game-high 32 points.

Trisko converted a layup to give the Golden Eagles the early 2-0 lead, but Principia responded with a 14-2 run and Spalding found themselves in an early 14-4 hole five minutes into the game. A Rylan Rowe layup jumpstarted a 13-2 SU run pushing the Golden Eagles to a 17-16 lead with just under 8:30 to play in the half. A Goeing layup stretched Spalding's lead to three points, but Principia ended the half on an 8-3 spurt to take a 24-22 lead into the half.

Similar to the first half, the Golden Eagles opened with a Trisko layup to knot the score, 24-24. The margin stayed at three or less points until a Trisko jumper sparked an 11-0 Spalding spurt to give the Golden Eagles a 39-31 lead with 14:09 remaining. Principia slowly chipped away cutting the SU lead to two points, 58-56. Spalding responded with a 9-2 run capped off by a Turner layup stretching the SU margin to nine points, and the Golden Eagles held on for the win, 73-66.

Up next, Spalding will host a pair of SLIAC opponents. The Golden Eagles take on MacMurray Wednesday, January 13 at 8:00 p.m. EST, and finish the week off with a 3:00 p.m. tipoff versus Webster Saturday, January 16.