November 27, 2013
Grace Tops Trojans in Crossroads League Opener
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The Taylor women's basketball team suffered a 75-55 loss at Grace in the Crossroads League opener for both teams Tuesday night.
Grace (3-5, 1-0) got off to a hot start, opening a 23-15 lead midway through the first half before the Trojans' Kelci Freds fueled an 11-4 run with back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Trojans within one at 27-26.
Grace responded with a 16-5 run over the final seven minutes of the opening stanza as the No. 20 Lancers extended their lead to 43-31 at intermission. Taylor could never close the gap in the final 20 minutes as Grace kept the Trojans at bay with solid defense and good shooting to pull away for the 75-55 victory.
"Grace caused us significant issues on both ends of the court," Taylor coach Kelly Packard explained. "We struggled to manage a very gifted scorer and didn't limit them to one shot on each offensive possession. They forced us to take rushed shots or shots that flow outside our offense."
Taylor (2-4, 0-1) couldn't seem to find an answer for the Lancers' talented senior guard Juaneice Jackson who finished the night with a game-high 25 points. Forward Allison Kauffman dominated the paint for Grace with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Taylor's Kelci Freds finished as the leading scorer for TU with nine points, all coming from beyond the 3-point line in the first half. Freshman Savannah also added nine points for the Trojans.
Taylor struggled from the floor, shooting 42.3-percent (22-for-52 from the field and just 4-for-17 (23.5-percent) from 3-point range. Grace connected on 29-of-55 (52.7-percent) from the floor and managed a 32-22 advantage on the glass over the Trojans.
Taylor returns to action on Saturday when the Trojans host Holy Cross for a 1:00 pm tilt that kicks off a 3-game home stand for the Trojans.