January 25, 2014
Compton Pours in 28 in Home Loss to Grace
UPLAND, Ind. - Monica Compton scored 19 second-half points to lead Taylor back from an 11-point deficit but the Trojans could not pull out the win, as Grace held on to escape Odle Arena with a 73-72 victory.
TU found itself in a 32-21 hole with just over four minutes to play in the opening stanza, and trailed by 10 with 2:11 left in the opening session. A hoop from Compton brought Taylor within single digits and a Kelci Freds runner sent the teams to the half with the Lancers holding 36-30 edge.
The Trojans would open the second half on a 10-2 surge to pull in front with a 40-38 lead but Grace withstood the rally and steadily opened up a six-point cushion by the 9:16 mark.
Taylor would mount another rally on a pair of three-point jumpers from Compton and a deuce from Jackie Osenbaugh that drew the Purple and Gold within 60-59 with 5:12 to play.
That would be as close as the Trojans could get until the final horn however, as Grace once again pushed its lead back to a six-point spread with only 10 seconds left in the contest.
TU made one final comeback, with a fast-break layup from Shayna Wood making it a four-point game with three seconds to go. The Trojans then forced a turnover on the in-bounds play and Compton knocked down her sixth three of the afternoon to make it 73-72 as time expired.
Compton ended with a career-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including a blistering six-of-seven from beyond the arc. The sophomore has averaged 19.3 points per game over TU's last three, while shooting eight-of-11 from deep and 63.2 percent from the floor during that streak.
Kelsey Bryant joined Compton in double figures, inching closer to the 1,000-point mark with 10 points, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals. Bryant ended the contest just five points shy of becoming TU's 21st member of the 1,000-point club.
Grace (10-12, 6-4 CL) was led by 25 points from Juaneice Jackson and shot 55.6 percent from the field as a team. The Lancers also did damage at the charity stripe, attempting 22 more free throws than TU on their way to an 18-point advantage from the line.
Taylor (8-14, 3-7 CL) will play its next five games on the road against Crossroads League competition. The stretch will begin on Wednesday, with a test at No. 1 Saint Francis (22-0, 10-0 CL) at 7:00 pm.