Taylor Goes Cold in Fourth During Loss at USF

FORT WAYNE – Taylor and Saint Francis both opened Saturday's clash on target but the hosts remained hot throughout during a 65-54 victory over the Trojans.

Taylor connected on five triples for its first 15 points of the contest, but USF (9-8, 5-2 CL) used six treys for its first 18 points and took a 22-15 advantage in the early going.

The lead swelled to 31-19 on another Cougar three, before Taylor closed the first half on an 11-0 stretch over the final 6:19 to claw to within a single point at the break. Ava Henson ignited the comeback with five points during the spurt.

Taylor Westgate netted TU's first six points of the third quarter to push the Trojans to a 36-34 lead, and a Hope Custer triple later made the score, 41-39, in favor of the guests.

TU went cold in the final period however, making just three-of-16 shots over the final 10 minutes and being outscored by a 20-10 margin as the game slipped away.

Westgate led the Trojans with 19 points and pulled in eight rebounds, with Henson adding 15 points and two steals. Custer also played well with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

In the end, TU could not keep pace with the long-range shooting from the Cougars, as the hosts poured in 13 makes from beyond the arc.

Taylor (10-7, 3-4 CL) will hope to bounce back when it hosts Mount Vernon Nazarene (8-9, 3-4 CL) on Wednesday in a special start time of 6:00 pm.