Early Defensive Dominance Spurs TU to Another Win

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UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor Trojans (3-0) used an early 17-0 run stretching across 10 minutes of play to spur themselves to their third-straight victory to start the season Wednesday night against Madonna (1-1).

MU scored on its first possession of the night, but the TU defense forced eight turnovers and 11 misses from the field before the Crusaders got back on the board with a free throw to make it 17-3, Taylor, with just over nine minutes remaining in the second period.

The run of defensive excellence for the Trojans allowed their offense time to find a rhythm, something they accomplished late in quarter number two. With TU stalled at 25 points for three and-a-half minutes midway through the period, the offense got going by drawing fouls, making free throws and scoring 10 points in the final three minutes of the half to make it 35-18 at halftime.

Claycee West's well-rounded first half included six points, five assists and three steals to help lead the Trojans on both ends of the court. Hope Custer continued her strong play on the boards with five first-half rebounds, while Taylor Westgate was well on her way to a third consecutive double-double with seven points and nine rebounds.

The third quarter turned into the Jillian Osswald show for Taylor, as the junior made two treys and six free throws en route to putting up 14 points in the period. She also had two steals and three assists in the frame as the Trojans expanded their lead with a 28-point third-quarter outburst.

The Crusaders made their run in the fourth period, outscoring TU 26-14, but Taylor had done more than enough through the first three quarters of play to hold on for the 77-65 win in front of its home crowd.

Four players finished the game in double figures for TU, led by Westgate and Osswald with 19 each, Ava Henson with 12 and Custer with 11. Osswald's 19 points marked a new career high, Westgate notched her usual double-double by adding 12 rebounds and West finished the night with a game-high six assists.

Defensively, Westgate led the way with two blocks, while Osswald and West each had three steals.

Taylor is back in action Friday and Saturday with the Freed-Hardeman Classic in Henderson, Tenn. TU opens play against No.20-ranked Freed-Hardeman (2-1) Friday night at 6:30 p.m.