GOSHEN, Ind. – The Trojans led from wire-to-wire over Goshen (0-17, 0-6 CL) in a 79-71 victory on Saturday evening on the road.
While the wind blew and snow fell outside, the Taylor basketball team stayed warm with a solid showing to earn its second win in the Crossroads League.
Kaden Fuhrmann buried a triple for the game's first points, part of his team-leading 22, and TU did not give up the lead the rest of the way despite allowing the Maple Leafs to hang around and tie the game on multiple occasions.
An Anton Webb bucket under five minutes into the action gave Taylor a 14-7 advantage before Goshen went on a 6-0 run to close the gap to one.
The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes until the Trojans went on an 11-4 run capped by a three-pointer from Jackson Ullom extending the lead to nine.
The Maple Leafs scored the next six points before seven straight points from the Trojans gave them a brief 10-point lead, the largest of the half.
Taylor went into the locker room up 45-37 behind a standout performance from Wes Hunt, who scored all 12 of his points in the first stanza, and Izaiah Day, who notched all six of his points off the bench in the period.
Ullom splashed home a triple for the first basket of the second half, in which he scored 14 of his 20 points, but the Trojans went cold shortly after, tallying only six points in the next ten minutes to allow the Maple Leafs to tie up the ballgame once again this time at 54.
The offense found its rhythm and scored 25 points in the final nine minutes, with Fuhrmann and Ullom combining for 20 points in that stretch as each went over 20 individually in the contest. Taylor secured its largest lead of the game at 75-62 before a late run made the final scoreline 79-71 in TU's favor.
In addition to those already listed, Jackson Lewis was another player with an impressive stat line. Lewis totaled nine points on seven shots, five steals, and five assists in his first start alongside Ullom.
Taylor (7-10, 2-5 CL) will look to continue its momentum when it returns to the friendly confines of Odle Arena to face Huntington (11-6, 4-3 CL) on Wednesday, January 17, with tip-off set for 7:30 pm.
