RV Taylor’s Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Concordia
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UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor women’s basketball team erased a 13-point first-half deficit to take a four-point lead in the fourth quarter on Monday night, but the visiting Cardinals of Concordia finished the evening with a 17-to-four run to hand the Trojans a 74-68 loss inside Odle Arena.
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The two squads were knotted at 24 apiece after the first 10 minutes of action, shooting a combined 18-34 (52.9 percent) from the floor. TU held a significant, 11-to-five advantage on the glass, including six-to-two on the offensive end.
Concordia (3-0) rattled off 13-straight points to begin the second period, giving the visitors a 37-24 lead with 7:27 left in the stanza. Taylor’s first points of the quarter came on Abby Buchs’s basket at the 6:21 mark. The Trojans closed the gap to seven, 40-33, at halftime with a nine-to-three run over the final 6:21 of the half.
Taylor made just three-of-18 (16.7 percent) field goals in the pivotal second quarter, after hitting eight-of-17 (47.1 percent) shots in the first period.
The Cardinals stretched the lead back to double-digits in the third quarter, 45-35, with 5:51 to go, but Cassidy Wyse’s three-pointer with 5:28 on the clock began a 16-to-six run to tie the game at 51-51, before CU added a bucket to make it 53-51 entering the fourth quarter.
Taylor continued its run in the beginning of the final stanza, as the Trojans used a 10-to-four run to take a four-point lead, 61-57, with 6:43 remaining in the game.
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Cardinals scored eight-straight points over the next three minutes to turn Taylor’s four-point lead into a four-point lead for the visitors.
Bradbury quickly cut it back to a two-point game, after driving to the hoop for a layup with 3:05 left to play, but CU responded with a three-pointer and the Trojans never managed to cut the lead under five the rest of the way.
TU finished the night 21-of-60 (35 percent) from the field, while the Cardinals made 28-of-68 (41.2 percent) shots for the contest. CU held a plus-five margin in turnovers and outscored Taylor, 15-to-seven off turnovers.
Josie Cobb led all scorers with 21 points, knocking down a career-high five triples to notch the second 20-point game of her four-year career. Bradbury notched her fourth-straight double-double, scoring 20 points and hauling in 14 rebounds, while dishing out a team-high four assists. Wyse added 10 points and 11 boards for her first double-double of the season for the Purple and Gold.
RV Taylor (2-2) will return to the hardwood on Saturday, as the Trojans travel to Chicago to take on No. 2 Saint Xavier (2-0) at 2:00 pm.