LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On Tuesday, Spalding women's basketball hosted St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) opponent Principia College. The Golden Eagles defeated the Panthers 64-58.
SU moved to 10-14 (8-9 SLIAC), while Principia fell to 13-11 (10-7 SLIAC) on the season.
TURNING POINT
Both teams started slowly, as neither side could score a basket for nearly five minutes.
Sydney Raque gave SU their first points by hitting a three-pointer on the wing. This sparked a run for the Golden Eagles as
Maelyn Ridener and
Nicole Hollowell each hit a three-pointer, giving Spalding the lead 9-6. It was a back-and-forth battle to end the quarter, but Principia led 13-12.
The Panthers came out the second quarter on fire as they extended their lead, 27-18.
Riana Caldwell made an and-one layup to push the momentum back toward SU. Ridener followed the and-one with a three-pointer. This closed the gap before the half, but Principia took the lead into the half, 30-24.
The Golden Eagles' start to the second half was excellent. SU went on a 7-2 run to make it a three-point game, 34-31. For the next six minutes it was all the Panthers. Principia extended their lead to 43-34, with three minutes remaining in the third. Spalding had to dig deep to get back into this one. Caldwell did just that, as she hit another and-one layup to close the lead to four. That wasn't enough as the Panthers had another late push to close the quarter, leading 47-39.
Ridener started the fourth quarter scoring for SU, which got the Golden Eagles rolling.
Isis Rodgers and Ma'kaylia Lute added to the run. Spalding did not stop there as they continued their run, starting the quarter on a 10-3 run. SU took their first lead of the game since the first quarter, 52-51. Rodgers gave Spalding more of a cushion with a mid-range jumper. This basket fueled SU for the remainder of the game. The Golden Eagles went on to win this one, 64-58.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
- Riana Caldwell led the way for SU with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
- Spalding hit 10 three-pointers.
- All the Golden Eagle players got into the scoring column.
NEXT FOR SPALDING
Spalding will host SLIAC opponent Fontbonne on Saturday, February 17th. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
