Starters Carry The Way In Griffins Win Over Principia

ELSAH, Ill.—The Fontbonne University men's basketball team won its fourth of its last five with the starting five carrying the way as they fended off Principia for the 74-67 win.

Records

Fontbonne (8-5; 4-1 SLIAC)

Principia (6-8; 3-2 SLIAC)

Game Breakdown

In the first half, the Griffins held onto a 17-14 lead a the 12:33 mark on Caden Clark's layup. Principia regained an 18-17 lead, but the Griffins took the advantage right back with 8:51 left on Brent Wagner's 3-pointer.

From there, the Griffins rattled off a 10-1 run over the next four minutes capped off by Will Suellentrop's layup putting them on top by 10.

The Panthers, though got right back into the game responding with a 13-4 run with AJ Byrd's layup trimming the Griffins deficit to 32-31 with 1:03 left.

The Griffins answered with a 5-0 run to close out the half with Wagner's 3-pointer prior to the buzzer sounding giving Fontbonne a 37-31 lead at the break.

Fontbonne shot 47.1 percent from the floor in the first led by Elijah Rice's 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Principia, meanwhile, shot 46.2 percent from the field and hit five 3-pointers.

In the second half, the Panthers grabbed a 46-45 lead at the 12:13 mark, however, the Griffins took control the next five minutes going on a 11-2 run with Suellentrop's 3-pointer pushing its advantage out to 56-48.

The Panthers got to within four in the final minute, but the Griffins went 3-of-4 from the line to secure the seven-point win.

Team Stats

• Fontbonne shot 41.7 percent from the field.
• The Panthers ended with a 42.4 field goal percentage.
• The Griffins defense forced 20 Panthers turnovers and turned it into 21 points.
• Fontbonne held a 46-28 advantage in the paint.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Elijah Rice made it nine straight games in double-figures with 20 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
• Anthony Jones recorded 12 of his 16 points in the second half finishing 6-of-8 from the field.
• Brent Wagner went 4-of-12 from downtown ending with 14 points.
• Will Suellentrop earned his third double-double with 13 points and tied his season-high with 14 rebounds.
• Caden Clark extended his streak to seven games in double-figures with 11 points.

Up Next

The Griffins are back in action on Thursday when they'll visit Westminster. Tip-off at 7:00 p.m.

About Fontbonne University

Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu.

Make sure to follow men's basketball on all its social media accounts: Twitter (@FBUBasketball), Instagram (@fbubasketball) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).