Though Principia had not won a single game in the SLIAC this season, they came out strong and stayed with the Saints for most of the half causing five lead changes in the first 20 minutes. However, Maryville’s outside shooting once again carried the team over their opponents as they pulled away with the lead. In the first half, Maryville finished 10-for-24 (.417) from behind the three-point arc to help lead the team over the Panthers 45-23. Shooting guards Mike Turpen and Ben Hebl led Maryville’s first half performance hitting a combined seven three-pointers for 12 and nine points respectively.
In the second half, the Panther’s defense slowed Maryville’s outside shooting but put them on the line instead. Maryville finished 19-of-34 at the line while Principia went to the charity stripe just 10 times.
Maryville’s bench played a huge role in the Saints win tonight. Freshman Aaron Steinke had a career night recording his first double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Steinke shot 7-for-12 in the field and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line while also talling three steals and two assists. Turpen’s offensive performance earned him 18 points at the end of the game followed by Hebl with 12 for the night, each hitting four three’s a piece.
Matt Baker led the Saints on the boards while also scoring in double-digits. The freshman forward recorded 11 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds while dishing out three assists. Fellow freshman Scott Murfin also had a career night with 10 points including a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Also tallying some note-worthy stats were point guards Tim Elwell and Teddy McGrath. Elwell dished out a team-high six assists and grabbed a team-high four steals while adding eight points. McGrath contributed with five assists, five points, and five rebounds.
Up next for the Saints will be the conference tournament held this Thursday, February 23 at Blackburn College. The Saints will take on the #3 seed Webster University at 6:00 pm.
For information, results, statistics and more on the 2006 Men's SLIAC Tournament, log on to www.sliac.org.
Newspaper Box Score Maryville University vs Principia College Men (Reg) 02/21/06 8:00 PM at Elsah, IL At Elsah, IL MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY 100, PRINCIPIA COLLEGE MEN (REG) 50 MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY (16-8, 11-3 SLIAC) Steinke, Aaron 7-12 4-4 20; Turpen, Mike 6-9 2-7 18; Hebl, Ben 4-10 0-0 12; Baker, Matt 4-10 3-6 11; Murfin, Scott 2-9 4-4 10; Elwell, Tim 2-3 2-2 8; McGrath, Teddy 2-5 0-0 5; Arand, Ben 1-1 3-5 5; Klein, Ryan 2-5 0-0 4; Smiddy, Jared 1-4 1-4 3; Regan, Matt 1-3 0-2 2; Andrews, Josh 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 33-72 19-34 100. PRINCIPIA COLLEGE MEN (REG) (2-22, 0-14 SLIAC) Clough, Louis 5-13 1-2 12; Neale, Graham 4-7 0-0 9; Aimonetti, Jonathan 3-11 0-0 8; Watts, Chris 3-12 0-0 6; Swiderski, Jonah 2-4 1-2 5; Hey, Nate 1-1 0-0 3; Webster, Cal 1-1 1-2 3; Chiteri, Ezekiel 1-3 0-0 2; MacWilliams, Chris 0-2 1-2 1; Cooper, Oliver 0-1 1-2 1; Waller, Stuart 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 20-60 5-10 50. Maryville University.......... 45 55 - 100 Principia College Men (Reg)... 23 27 - 50 3-point goals-Maryville University 15-35 (Turpen, Mike 4-7; Hebl, Ben 4-10; Steinke, Aaron 2-4; Elwell, Tim 2-2; Murfin, Scott 2-7; McGrath, Teddy 1-3; Regan, Matt 0-1; Smiddy, Jared 0-1), Principia College Men (Reg) 5-21 (Aimonetti, Jonathan 2-8; Neale, Graham 1-4; Hey, Nate 1-1; Clough, Louis 1-4; Waller, Stuart 0-1; Watts, Chris 0-3). Fouled out--Maryville University-None, Principia College Men (Reg)-None. Rebounds-Maryville University 51 (Steinke, Aaron 10), Principia College Men (Reg) 34 (Chiteri, Ezekiel 6). Assists-Maryville University 24 (Elwell, Tim 6), Principia College Men (Reg) 15 (Aimonetti, Jonathan 5). Total fouls-Maryville University 14, Principia College Men (Reg) 26. A-200