Trojans Come up just Short in Fast-Paced Battle with RV Spring Arbor

UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor women's basketball (6-9, 1-4 CL) dropped a tight battle with RV Spring Arbor (12-3, 3-2) 80-72 at home on Saturday afternoon despite shooting a season-best 48.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep.

SAU, which entered the contest leading the Crossroads League with 84.5 points per game, came out of the gates playing its as-advertised up-tempo style. The Trojans beat the Cougars at their own game in the first half, however, using superb ball movement to help knock down shots inside and out.

In the opening quarter, Spring Arbor jumped out ahead with strong on-ball pressure and impressive shot-making to lead 11-2 three minutes in. TU's offense then caught fire, as each starter scored in the first period, led with six points apiece by Taylor Westgate and Jillian Osswald – who knocked down two treys – to trail by only one at the break, 22-21.

The Trojans stayed blazing hot in the second quarter while their defense forced five turnovers in the period to lead by as many as nine points and take an impressive 45-39 lead into halftime. Led by Westgate's 13 first-half points, the home team seemingly could not miss as it entered the break, highlighted by a fall-away, shot-clock beating triple in the corner from Maycee Woods with eight minutes remaining in the half.

Taylor saw all eight players who received minutes in the first 20 minutes score, and it shot an identical 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from the field in each of the first two quarters.

TU pushed its lead to eight points at 55-47 midway through the third period with continued contributions from its top scorers, Westgate and Ava Henson. SAU proceeded to go on a 10-0 run, however, and the quarter ended with the score knotted up at 59.

It appeared as though opposing guard Alize Tripp and the Cougars would run away with the game in the fourth quarter leading 73-64 with under three minutes to play, but back-to-back three-pointers from Hope Custer and Osswald cut the deficit to three points just 50 seconds later. The late comeback attempt would end there, however, as SAU capitalized on a couple Trojan turnovers and iced the game at the free-throw line.

Despite very even rebounding and shooting lines and an identical number of assists between the two squads, TU was hurt in the turnover battle throughout the game. SAU turned 17 Trojan turnovers into 25 points, whereas Taylor managed just eight points off of 11 Cougar turnovers.

Westgate led the Trojans with 19 points, eight rebounds and one blocked shot. Osswald finished with 15 points and a game-high five assists while knocking down a trio of three-pointers for the second consecutive game. Custer and Henson both had well-rounded stat lines as they poured in 13 and 12 points, respectively.

TU closes its difficult two-game homestand against second-ranked Indiana Wesleyan (14-1, 5-0 CL) on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 5:30 p.m.