MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Taylor women's basketball team (6-4, 2-2 CL) won its second-consecutive game by 20-plus points on Saturday afternoon, when the Trojans defeated Bethel (4-8, 0-4 CL) on the road by a final score of 83-59.
Taylor matched its season-best point total, while knocking down 14 triples for the most three-point baskets made in a single game thus far in the 2022 campaign. Backcourt duo, Claycee West and Ariel Dale, played a large role in that storyline, as each Trojan sunk four three-pointers against the Pilots. Meanwhile, sophomore, Maycee Woods, had her best game of the season while knocking down three-of-four from three-point land en route to a nine-point and six-rebound performance.
West finished with a team-high 19 points, marking her third-straight game with 19 points or more, while also scratching five rebounds and five assists into the scorebook. Dale filled the book as well, as she finished with a season-high 16 points alongside a career-best eight assists.
Two additional TU starters posted 15 points or more, as Taylor Westgate combined 17 points with nine rebounds and Ava Henson put in tandem 15 points and eight boards.
Meanwhile, the Trojans recorded just 12 team turnovers, their lowest mark in over a month. Additionally, the Trojans outrebounded the Pilots 38-24 which, when combined with low turnovers, helped Taylor command possession of the ball.
This was especially the case throughout the first half of play, as the Trojans outrebounded Bethel 22-10, including 10 offensive boards that resulted in 13 second-chance points in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Play unfolded in an even manner for the first eight minutes of basketball, however, until Taylor ignited a 9-0 run with two and half minutes to play in the first quarter. The Trojan run extended into the second frame, in which Taylor scored the first seven points, while Bethel suffered an eight-minute stretch of scoreless action.
The Trojans then maintained their extended lead until the half, when the score read 38-29 in favor of Taylor, which proved a firm foundation for a parade of three-point baskets to fall throughout the second half.
Led by West, who scored 11 points in the third quarter alone, and Dale, who scored nine in the fourth, the Trojans sunk a total of nine three-point field goals in the second half of play. Bethel managed to close the rebound gap, but it proved insufficient as Taylor outshot the Pilots down the stretch by a mark of 53.8 percent to just 23.5.
By game's end, the Trojans had hit twice as many threes as Bethel, while outscoring the Pilots 22-6 in second-chance points, a combination that proved detrimental to Bethel's hope for victory.
Now with its first two-game win streak since the first two games of the season, Taylor will prepare to host Calumet (0-5) on Wednesday, December 7, inside Odle Arena at 7:00 pm.
