Trojans Nearly Pull Off Upset at No. 6 MVNU
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MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – In the team’s third-straight game against a top-10 foe, Taylor came up just shy of a big win on the road. A bucket in the final seconds for No. 6 Mount Vernon Nazarene gave TU the narrow 71-70 defeat.
A close-knit first half resulted in an even score heading into the break. Taylor (11-17, 5-11 CL) gathered the largest lead of either team during the initial 20 minutes of action, gaining a seven-point advantage with the help of back-to-back threes from CJ Penha and Jason Hubbard.
Saturday’s contest remained a back-and-forth affair in the second-half, as TU held a slight one-point advantage with a minute remaining. The Cougars (24-4, 12-4 CL) found their way to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws that would give them the lead. With 17 second left in the game, Ryan Robinson netted a fancy layup to tip the game back into Taylor’s favor. Once again, MVNU answered with points of its own, retaking the lead for the final time.
Both teams shot the ball well in the second half, as TU managed to knock down 50.0 percent of its attempts, while the Cougars connected on 58.3 percent of theirs.
Taylor took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line throughout the afternoon contest, recording 13 foul shots, while converting at an 86.7 percent clip.
The Purple and Gold also found success capitalizing on MVNU mistakes, picking up 11 points on turnovers. TU surpassed its season average with six steals in the game, utilizing active hands on defense.
Four different Trojans contributed a double-digit scoring effort, as Penha led the way with 17 points. Vincent Miranda followed with 15 points on three triples, along with 13 points from Robinson and 10 points from Evan Crowe.
Taylor will travel to Goshen (7-20, 1-14 CL) for its next contest, as the team takes on the Maple Leafs at 7:00 pm on Tuesday.
