No. 15 TU Overwhelms Mount Vernon in 37-Point Win
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UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor women’s basketball team made six of its first eight shots, including three-of-four from three-point range, to jump out to an early 15-4 lead en route to shooting a season-best 54 percent in a convincing, 90-53 victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at Paul Patterson Court.
The 15th-ranked Trojans now boast 18 wins on the season, the most since posting 21 wins during the 2012-2013 season, while also notching their 11th Crossroads League win, the most league wins in a season since TU went 11-3 in league play in 2000-2001.
The two squads were tied at four points apiece early, before a deuce and back-to-back three-pointers from Cassidy Wyse, followed by a triple from Abby Buchs turned the 4-4 tie into a 15-4 advantage for the Purple and Gold in a matter of two minutes to force a Mount Vernon timeout.
The Cougars (14-12, 6-8 CL) closed to within nine, 24-15, by the end of the first quarter, but a 15-2 burst by Taylor to open the second period quickly put the Trojans up 39-17 with four minutes left in the first half.
TU led by 23 at the half, and MVNU never closed the gap to less than 20 the rest of the way, as the Trojans cruised to the 37-point win.
In addition to shooting 54 percent (34-of-63) from the field, Taylor converted 10-of-25 (40 percent) from downtown, the 11th game this season with at least 10 made three-pointers, which is more than the previous four seasons combined.
TU also displayed excellent ball security in the win, turning the ball over just seven times and handing out 21 assists. In the first meeting of the season between Taylor and MVNU, the Trojans turned the ball over 21 times, compared to nine assists in a 78-70 loss at Mount Vernon.
Wyse poured in a game-high 24 points on 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from the floor to pace the Purple and Gold, while Kendall Bradbury netted 20 points, the 24th time she has scored at least 20 points in a game this season. The junior also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out five assists for TU.
Josie Cobb moved into 22nd place on TU’s all-time scoring list with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 4-of-6 from behind the arc. The senior guard’s 1,094 points surpasses Allison Reece’s 1,089 career points from 2007 to 2011. Cobb also matched a career-high with seven dimes, including five in the first quarter, and snatched two steals for the Trojans.
Aubrey Wright had a hand in several categories, posting eight points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Buchs added seven points and five boards for the victors.
Up next for No. 15 Taylor (18-8, 11-3 CL) is a cross-county rivalry game at No. 20 Indiana Wesleyan (19-7, 11-3 CL) on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm. With a win, the Trojans would hold a one-game lead over IWU for second place in the Crossroads League standings with three games left in the regular season.
