December 8, 2013
Trojans' Comeback Falls Short Against Marian
UPLAND, Ind. - The Taylor women's basketball team stormed back from a 20-point deficit, trimming the Marian lead to one point late in the second half before the Knights held off the Trojans for a 66-59 victory.
Sophomore Monica Compton scored 17 points, including 15 in the second half to lead the Trojans but Taylor couldn't overcome a poor night shooting, connecting on just 17-of-55 (30.9 percent) shots from the floor, including 3-for-12 from beyond the arc.
"We lacked so much energy early on and that was frustrating because we can't get behind like that," Taylor coach Kelly Packard explained. "We're a team that has very little margin for error as it is and when we get behind then we needed to do everything perfectly in the second half to even get back into the game."
Taylor (3-7, 0-3) trailed 33-22 at intermission and saw the deficit grow to 48-28 six minutes into the second half before the Trojans began to claw their way back into the game. Senior Kelci Freds connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to spark the Taylor run while Compton knocked down a 3-pointer and sliced through the Knights' defense for multiple baskets in the paint as Taylor pulled to within 55-54 with two minutes to play.
Marian (6-5, 2-1) responded with a 3-pointer and two free throws to build a comfortable margin and hang on for the victory. Junior guard Kaylee Walters led the Knights with 23 points, including a 4-for-6 performance from 3-point range while Lakan Hasser-Smith added 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists for Marian.
Kelsey Bryant was the only other Trojans in double figures with 11 points while the senior guard also led Taylor in rebounding with nine. Taylor won the rebounding battle for the eighth time in ten games, outrebounding the Knights 42-34 but the Trojans managed just nine second chance points on 18 offensive rebounds.
Taylor heads on the road for a matchup at Illinois-Springfield next Saturday at 1:00 pm before wrapping up its non-conference schedule with three consecutive home games to round out December.