Trojans Go Toe-to-Toe with #RV Titans in Tight Loss

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Taylor women's basketball team (4-2) fell 75-68 Saturday afternoon in a tightly contested battle with undefeated #RV Indiana University South Bend (5-0).

A slow start and tough finish for the Trojans spoiled a would-be quality win, as TU fought back from separate deficits of nine points each to take brief leads in the second and fourth quarters.

The Purple and Grey struggled with early turnovers and missed shots to begin Saturday's matinee, but Ava Henson and company were able to get to the charity stripe to overcome an 8-0 hole. Henson added two three-pointers in the first frame to cut IUSB's lead to four, 19-15, after one quarter.

Whitney Warfel came to life in the second period, splashing home two triples and going 4-for-5 from the floor overall in a 10-point quarter for the sophomore. Emma Fohl had a solo 5-0 run midway through that same quarter to put the Trojans in front by nine at 30-21.

The Taylor lead quickly dissipated, though, with the Titans closing the first half on a 13-3 run.

IU South Bend added to its lead despite Henson and Kacey Ott each notching six points in the third frame, with Ott doing so on 3-for-3 shooting. A late three-pointer from the hosts made it a six-point game at 55-49 with 10 minutes remaining.

The Titans scored on their first possession of the fourth quarter, but Maycee Woods and Henson helped the Trojans surge back to a 60-59 advantage with five minutes to play.

A couple minutes later, three straight baskets from IUSB helped it retake a six-point lead. Though Fohl connected on a trey with 1:38 left to make it a one-possession game, that would be all the closer TU got as the clock ticked down to zeros.

Henson and Warfel had matching stat lines of 18 points, two three-point makes and five rebounds apiece to lead the Trojans.

Woods had 11 points, four rebounds and a game-high four assists, while Fohl contributed 10 points, three assists and a career-high four steals. Both players also made two triples on the day.

Warfel and Quinn Kelly combined for all 23 points off the bench for Taylor, a category it bested IUSB in by 19 points.

TU tips off its Crossroads League season on the road Wednesday versus No. 18 Saint Francis (7-0, 0-0 CL) at 5:30 p.m.