TU Falls to No. 8 Marian Despite a Career-Best 21 Points From Moll
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor (4-3) women's basketball team was back in action inside Odle Arena on Wednesday evening, when the Trojans hosted No. 8 Marian (6-1) and lost by a final score of 67-52.
After finding themselves down by 21 early in the third quarter, the Trojans battled back to draw within nine by the end of the frame and even late into the fourth quarter. Marian capped the final four minutes of play with an 8-2 run, though, working an eventual 15-point victory.
Turnovers proved to be a burden for the Trojan offense again Wednesday evening, as 20 Trojan miscues opened the door for 26 Marian points on the other end. Taylor has now posted 20 or more turnovers in four of its last five games.
Center, Gretchen Moll, however put forth another noteworthy performance in the paint for Taylor, scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-12 shooting alongside 12 rebounds. The senior from Seward, Nebraska, now has three double-doubles in Taylor's seven total games in 2022.
Junior guard, Ava Henson, meanwhile contributed 14 points toward the TU offensive attack. Henson shot a 71.4-percent clip on seven shots taken from the field, including a pair of three-balls in the second half. TU's guard from Westfield, Indiana, has kept a sharp shot thus far into the 2022 campaign, averaging a 51.9-percent mark from the floor and from deep through Taylor's first seven games.
The Crossroads League-leader in points-per-game, Taylor Westgate, was active all across the court against Marian, tallying 12 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks by game's end. Westgate scored six of her 12 points in the second frame alone, though it was a period of play in which Taylor scored just eight points as a team.
Taylor went into the half down 31-18, after which Marian ripped off a 7-0 run to start the third. The Trojans responded with a sense of urgency, however, forcing seven Marian turnovers en route to a 19-6 run to close the quarter down just eight points.
The script then flipped in the fourth, when Taylor suffered seven turnovers itself while Marian outscored the Trojans 22-15 to sour the TU league-opener.
Taylor (4-3) will return to action next Tuesday, November 22, when the Trojans travel across Grant County to play No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (5-2) at 7:00 pm.