RV Taylor Uses Early Run to Take Down No. 17 Saint Francis
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor women’s basketball team used a 19-5 second-quarter run to turn a 15-15 tie into a 34-20 lead, and the TU lead never dropped below 11 the rest of the contest, securing the 69-50 victory over No. 17 Saint Francis inside Odle Arena on Wednesday night.
TU led 13-10 after the first quarter, before the Cougars knotted the score at 15-15 less than two minutes into the second period. The Trojans then rattled off their 19-5 run to take a 34-20 lead with 2:16 to go and led, 37-24, at the break.
Saint Francis (7-4, 2-2 CL) opened the second half with a three-pointer to cut the lead back to 11, but Taylor responded with seven-straight points to open up an 18-point spread, 44-26, at the 6:13 mark of the third stanza.
The Purple and Gold led, 51-37, entering the final period, and USF again opened the frame with a triple to cut the lead to 11, but a pair of treys from Josie Cobb and a free throw by Kendall Bradbury put TU back up by 18 with 5:22 remaining in regulation, allowing Taylor to cruise to the 69-50 victory over the 17th-ranked Cougars.
Taylor outshot USF from the field on the night, knocking down 25 of its 59 attempts for a 42.4-percent clip, while the Cougars struggled to make 19-of-61 (31.1 percent) from the floor. TU also recorded a season-high 10 steals to force Saint Francis into 18 turnovers, while committing a season-low nine turnovers.
Bradbury poured in a game-high 23 points to continue her climb on the TU all-time scoring list. The junior now sits in seventh place with 1,534 career points, passing Rhonda Andrews’ 1,516 career points from 1988 through 1992.
Cobb made an impact in several categories for the Trojans, tallying 16 points and leading the team in rebounds (seven), assists (five) and steals (four). Cassidy Wyse provided nine points, six rebounds and two blocks, Becca Buchs added seven points and Aubrey Wright contributed four rebounds and three assists. Jamie Netzley grabbed a career-high three steals and scored four points in 12 minutes off the bench.
RV Taylor (7-5, 3-1 CL) will take 10 days off before its next contest, as No. 20 Olivet Nazarene (8-3, 5-0 CCAC) comes to Odle Arena for a 2:00 pm tip-off on December 16.