Third Quarter Surge Propels Taylor Over No. 24 Huntington
UPLAND – Taylor outscored the Foresters 22-7 in a dominant third quarter to pull ahead and grab its fourth victory over a ranked or receiving votes squad.
Tied at the half, No. 10 TU (10-4, 2-2 CL) opened the third stanza with suffocating defense, holding No. 24 Huntington (8-4, 1-3 CL) scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter. Becca Buchs tallied eight points in a 16-point run that shifted the momentum in favor of the Trojans.
TU shot the ball well as a team on Wednesday, converting on 48.9 percent of its attempts from the floor and an incredible 48.0 clip from downtown.
Falling behind early in the game, Taylor found help from its bench which scored eight points in the opening quarter. Sydney Huffman drained a key trey to end a 10-point rally from the home team. Merideth Deckard also logged important minutes, nailing a three pointer at the end of each of the first two periods, while finishing with 11 points and three triples.
Following the third quarter Trojan onslaught, Taylor’s lead never dipped below seven points as the team cruised to a 68-59 victory.
Abby Buchs and Becca Buchs posted strikingly similar stat lines on Wednesday night, as the duo shined in TU’s victory. The pair each collected 17 points, five rebounds, four free throws on five attempts, three shots from beyond the arc and five made field goals. Becca has now finished with double-digit points in 13-of-14 games on the season
Kendall Bradbury nabbed her sixth double-double, recording 14 points and 11 rebounds, while dishing out three assists.
No. 10 Taylor (10-4, 2-2 CL) will return to Odle Arena for its next contest, as the team faces Goshen (6-6, 0-4 CL) on Saturday at 5:00 pm.