No. 15 Marian Too Much for Trojans to Handle

UPLAND, Ind. – Ava Henson scored 20 points and snatched three steals Saturday afternoon, but the Trojans could not stop No. 15 Marian (17-5, 10-2 CL) in a 92-63 loss.

MU's size proved too much for Taylor to handle throughout the day, as it outrebounded the hosts 51-22 and recorded six blocks.

Whitney Warfel scored the first basket of the game off a turnover, stolen by Emma Fohl, but the 2-0 lead lasted only 15 seconds as Marian controlled the remainder of the quarter.

Henson trimmed the Knights' lead to 42-29 on a bucket with three minutes remaining in the half. MU finished the second quarter on a 9-2 run, however, giving it a 51-30 advantage at the intermission.

Though Taylor struggled shooting from the floor, Warfel and Henson were bright spots for the Purple and Grey through 20 minutes, combining to shoot 7-of-13 for 18 points.

TU showed fight in the third period, highlighted by a trio of treys from Henson. The Trojans cut the deficit to 15 at multiple points, but Marian had its lead back to 21 at 69-48 with one quarter to play.

Despite impressive back-to-back and-one opportunities for Kendall Wayne and McKayah Musselman, respectively, midway through the fourth frame, the Knights ran away with the contest.

Henson added three assists and three steals to her stat line by day's end. Quinn Kelly and Warfel both finished in double figures, with Kelly contributing a team-high six rebounds and Warfel accumulating two assists and two steals.

The Trojans won the turnover battle, 14-12, while racking up 10 steals defensively as Fohl and Musselman also had two steals apiece.

Taylor (6-16, 1-11 CL) takes to the road Wednesday to play Grace (9-13, 2-10) at 5:30 p.m. in a crucial game for TU's Crossroads League Tournament chances.