![Taylor Falls Late at No. 5 Marian](/images/2016-17/WomenBasketball/BuchsB_Marian.jpg)
Taylor Falls Late at No. 5 Marian
INDIANAPOLIS – The TU women's basketball team battled with the NAIA defending national champions, but Marian outscored Taylor, 26-16, in the fourth quarter to pull away late and hand the Trojans an 82-71 loss on Saturday.
Taylor held a 16-to-nine lead over the Knights after six and a half minutes of play, following back-to-back triples by Kendall Bradbury and Cassidy Wyse. MU responded with a 13-to-two burst in the final 3:30 of the opening quarter to give the hosts a 24-18 edge after 10 minutes of action.
The Trojans crafted a 12-to-four run to begin the second period, capped by a layup and a three-pointer by Bradbury, to regain the lead, 30-28, with 6:27 remaining in the half. Sydney Huffman provided a layup and assisted on two other buckets during the spurt. As earlier in the contest, Marian had an answer, rattling off a 16-to-five run to take a nine-point lead with 30 seconds left in the period before Bradbury's layup in the final seconds made it a 44-37 MU lead at the break.
TU shot the ball extremely well in the first half, going 14-of-25 (56 percent) from the floor and six-of-12 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.
In the second half, the fifth-ranked Knights maintained their lead, not allowing Taylor to close the gap to less than six points over the first five minutes of the third period. A 12-to-two TU run, powered by seven points from Wyse, gave the Purple and Gold a slim lead, 55-54, with 30 seconds left in the quarter. A bucket by Marian gave the hosts a 56-55 edge heading into the final quarter.
MU (21-3, 11-1 CL) increased its lead to seven early in the fourth quarter, but two free throws by Aubrey Wright and a layup from Bradbury cut the TU deficit to 62-59 with 6:33 to go. Marian went on a 10-to-two run over the next two minutes to take an eleven-point lead with just under four and a half minutes left. The Trojans were unable to get any closer than six the rest of the way, as the hosts went a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in the final 2:41 to close out the 82-71 victory for the Knights.
Taylor was minus-12 in the turnover battle, as MU forced 19 turnovers and committed only seven. Furthermore, Marian outscored TU off turnovers, 25-10, in the contest, as well as 11-to-three in fast break points.
Bradbury led Taylor with 21 points and six rebounds, while Wyse posted 16 points on seven-of-nine (77.7 percent) shooting and eight boards. Becca Buchs connected on a career-high three triples for nine points and Wright also added nine points for the Trojans.
The Trojans (10-14, 5-7 CL) will host Saint Francis (11-13, 6-6 CL) at Paul Patterson Court on Wednesday at 7:00 pm in a Crossroads League tilt.