Principia snapped a losing streak more than two full years in the making on Tuesday night as the Panthers defeated Millikin 83-74.

The Panthers had lost 57 consecutive games, dating to an 82-67 home win vs. Eureka on Feb. 12, 2011. Just six of the 57 losses were by fewer than 10 points.

Millikin, which entered the night at 5-1, led by as many as 13 points in the first half and was up by as many as 12 in the opening minutes of the second. Principia cut the deficit to as little as four before a pair of Tommy Pilackas free throws and a Jacob Kueker steal and jumper pushed the advantage back to 53-45 with 14:29 to go.

That's when the rally started. Principia (1-4) went on a 9-2 run over the next four minutes, fueled by a Sean Neel 3-pointer off a feed from Damon Wilgus. Principia later took a 61-59 lead on a Kenny Sydness jumper and pushed it to seven at 72-65 on a Wilgus 3. Wilgus later hit a 3-pointer to keep the Big Blue at bay with 1:23 left.

Wilgus led all scorers with 25 points, including 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Sydness added 20 while Justin Ball had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Kueker led the Big Blue with 18 points, while Jaylon Owens had a double double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Big Blue were without leading scorer TJ Griffin who missed the game due to illness.