Hot Start Fades at No. 2 Marian

INDIANAPOLIS – The Taylor women's basketball team (9-13, 4-8 CL) faced a tough test Saturday afternoon when it traveled to play No. 2 Marian (21-1, 12-0) with hopes of ending the Knights' 18-game winning streak. A hot start to the game for the Trojans had them leading by five points 10 minutes into the contest, but MU soon took control to defeat Taylor 86-51.

High-octane offense was the story for both teams to open the game, but Marian grabbed an early 16-9 lead with five minutes gone by. TU then embarked on a 12-0 run over its next four possessions thanks to three consecutive deep triples off the catch by Claycee West and a fourth trey from Jillian Osswald that forced a Knights' timeout. Osswald also notched five assists in the first frame, and the Trojans led 25-20 after one quarter.

A lid was seemingly on the basket for Taylor throughout the second period, and MU scored 21 unanswered points to enter the intermission ahead 41-25.

The Trojans promptly got back on the right track to start the third period with a steal that led to an easy layup for Hope Custer, who swished a three-pointer on TU's next trip down the floor. Second-ranked Marian later pushed its lead to 20 points, but Taylor came back and closed the stanza with a corner trey from Maycee Woods to make it 61-44, MU, with one quarter remaining.

TU could not carry momentum over to a fourth period that saw MU's Ella Collier become the Knights' all-time leading scorer with 2,001 career points, and Marian went on to remain undefeated in Crossroads League play.

Taylor Westgate recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Osswald joined the senior in double figures with 10 points and six assists.

Defensively, Ava Henson led the Trojans with three steals, and Aubrie Swain tallied two blocks in an active 13 minutes of playing time that included four points and two rebounds.

Taylor looks to snap its three-game slide when it hosts Grace (11-11, 6-6 CL) on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m.