Eutectics Can’t Catch Panthers

The Eutectic men's basketball team hosted the NCAA Division III Principia College Panthers of Elsah, Ill., on Tuesday night, falling 79-67. It was the first win of the season for PU (1-2), allowing the Panthers a 3-1 advantage over UHSP since 2012.

The Panthers came out strong, going up 9-2 before the Eutectics could react, and never relinquished the lead. The score was 25-12 after 10 minutes as the Eutectics struggled with accuracy and Principia dominated the boards. Brady Bowers went 5-for-7 for 11 points to lead the Euts in the first half, but Jaquan Adams outshined everyone with 20 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes to lead the Panthers to a 38-29 lead by halftime.  

Jas Suvalija scored the first seven points for the Eutectics in the second half with a triple, a layup, and two free throws to get the Euts within five at 41-36. A layup from Dwight Newsome put the Purple and Gold in striking distance at 41-38 at 15:15, but in the next five minutes, the Panthers would go on a 13-2 scoring run that would extend their lead to 14 (54-40) with 10 minutes remaining.

With three minutes left, Moctar Keita's offensive rebound and pass to Braylon Rios at the arc set up the triple that gave the Euts an offensive boost, putting the Euts within 10 points at 68-58. A minute later, it was Newsome with the offensive rebound and feed to Suvalija for the three – putting the score at 68-61. Suvalija quickly returned the favor with a defensive rebound to set up Newsome for the layup, cutting the Principia lead in half (68-63) with 1:36 left to play. But, Adams layed in his 29^th and 30^th points of the game after a Panther timeout to stop the home team surge and to make it 70-63. Newsome and Bowers each had a layup in the final minute of the game, but the Panthers would make 9-of-10 free throws during that time to secure their victory at 79-67.

Principia and UHSP had comparable shooting percentages at 39.1% (PU) to 42.2% (UHSP) and turnovers (each had 13) in the game, but the Panthers outrebounded the Euts 53-29, excelled in second-chance points (13 to the Eutectics' six), and took full advantage of UHSP's 20 fouls to make 20-of-28 free throws.

Brady Bowers led the Euts with 20 points, four steals, and three assists. Jas Suvalija scored 15, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished off three assists. Dwight Newsome and Braylon Rios also reached double figures in scoring with 15 and 11, respectively. Moctar Keita recorded six points.

Jaquan Adams finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds for Principia.

The Eutectics, now 1-4, will next host Brescia University (Ky.) on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m.