Strong Finish, But Beavers Drop Road Game

ELSAH, IL – The Blackburn College women's basketball team traveled to Principia College on Saturday afternoon for another conference matchup. The Beavers fell short to the Panthers, 102–78.

The Beavers were led by juniors Eiz Allende Quiñones and Kenadee Frey. Allende Quiñones finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, while Frey contributed 16 points and led the team on the boards with 11 rebounds. Senior Gaby Solis and freshman Annnett Bennett Ramos added 11 points each.

Blackburn faced early trouble as Principia opened the game with a 6–0 run before Allende Quiñones put the Beavers on the board at the free-throw line. Frey provided the first field goal for Blackburn with a strong drive inside, and moments later Solis drilled a three—cutting the deficit to four and giving the Beavers an early spark.

The first quarter became a battle of pace, with Blackburn forcing turnovers and getting clean looks but struggling to convert at the rim. Solis buried a midrange jumper, and freshman Elexus Frey knocked down a three from the wing to trim the margin to 17–13. Principia closed the quarter on a run, but Blackburn's strong bench contributions—especially from Frey, Solis, and senior Kailynn Kruep—kept the Beavers within striking distance.

Bennett Ramos ignited Blackburn in the second quarter. After a defensive stop, she turned a steal into a fastbreak layup, then connected on a wing three with 12 seconds remaining. Allende Quiñones added timely finishes through contact, and the Beavers continued attacking the rim to stay competitive despite Principia's hot perimeter shooting. At halftime, Blackburn trailed 50–29 but showed momentum building in transition and downhill drives.

Coming out of the break, Principia again opened with a run, but the Beavers countered quickly. Solis scored back-to-back layups, Allende Quiñones connected on a jumper, and Frey added another free throw as Blackburn continued to chip away. In the later minutes of the third and early fourth quarters, Allende Quiñones became nearly unstoppable downhill. She scored 12 points in an eight-minute stretch, including a fastbreak layup off her own steal and multiple contested finishes inside. Kruep added a three, and Bennett Ramos delivered a strong put-back to keep Blackburn's offense rolling.

The Beavers closed the game with their strongest offensive burst of the afternoon. Kenadee Frey exploded for eight points in the final minute, scoring three straight layups—two of them in transition—and converting an and-one at the rim. Her late surge, combined with continued pressure defense from Allende Quiñones, gave Blackburn a dominant closing stretch, finishing the game on a 10–2 run.

Ultimately, early turnovers and Principia's shooting runs created a gap too large to overcome, but the Beavers showed resilience, pace, and improved execution as the game progressed. The performances of Allende Quiñones, Solis, and the Frey sisters highlighted a continued upward trend in Blackburn's ability to generate offense and create scoring opportunities through pressure defense.

Blackburn returns to action next week as they kick off non-conference play in Hilo, Hawaii, where they will take on Hilbert and North Park.