ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Drury bowling faced a challenging field at the Lion's Classic on Saturday, ultimately placing seventh out of eight teams.  

The Panthers showed promise during the event, thanks in large part to the play of Owen Quesenberry, who led DU with an average of 198. Quesenberry also posted the team's highest game score of 227. 

Despite Quesenberry's individual success, the team struggled to adapt to the bowling pattern on the tournament's initial day, but showed significant improvement on day two during the Baker matches. 

"Our early struggles in understanding the bowling pattern cost us valuable points," Drury head coach Ted Barbee said. "Although the experience will be invaluable for future competitions. We've worked really hard and continue to grow as a group and that should prepare us for bigger things down the road."

On the competition front, Drury faced tough opponents throughout the event. They fell to Quincy, 2-0, in a challenging match against the second-seeded team. The Panthers managed to split the first two games in an intense matchup with Kansas State. The Wildcats took an early lead in game three, and the Panthers couldn't bridge the gap, eventually losing, 2-1, to fall just short of advancing to the next round.

The Panthers will compete in the SWIBC III and IV events at Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth, Texas next weekend (Nov. 8-9).