Trojans Net 97 Points in Comfortable Triumph
UPLAND, Ind. – Every active TU women’s basketball player entered the scoring column on Wednesday night, as the 15th-ranked Trojans cruised to a 97-57 win over the visiting Madonna Crusaders. The victory marked the third-straight for Taylor this season and improved the team’s regular season winning streak to 20 games.
Madonna (1-3) and Taylor (3-0) got off to a hot offensive start, combining for 18 points through the first three minutes of action. TU went 4-of-5 from the field, while the Crusaders knocked down 4-of-7 shots. Both defenses seemed to settle in following the outburst, as the Trojans paced MU for the remainder of the quarter, 8-6.
Freshman Taylor Browning sank a three pointer near the end of the opening period for the first points of her career. The Rushville, Indiana native finished with eight points and a pair of treys in her third appearance.
The Purple and Gold put together an 11-1 rally in the middle of the second stanza, utilizing three long balls to extend their lead to 13, before heading to half with a 14 point advantage.
The second half belonged to the Trojans, as the team poured in 53 points. The TU squad shot 68.8 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent from downtown during the third quarter alone. Throughout the final two quarters, Taylor posted eight threes and 11 free throws for an overall 53-27 point differential.
On the night, Taylor nailed 50.0 of its three point attempts, hitting a total of 18 treys, falling two short of the program-record for a single game. TU’s prolific shooting significantly surpassed the Madonna pace from deep, as the visitors offered just two threes on 15 attempts.
Becca Buchs led all scorers on Wednesday with 27 points, pushing her double-digit scoring streak to 19 games. The senior guard also matched a career-high with eight treys, while maintaining a 51.6 percent clip from downtown on the year. 13 boards also came in for Buchs, who collected her third double-double in as many games this season.
Sophomore Merideth Deckard also notched double-digit points with 14, netting four shots from beyond the arc. Another key cog on offense, Sydney Huffman dished out a career-best eight assists. Senior Jamie Netzley saw her first action in 2019, stepping in and grabbing a career-high seven rebounds.
A few newcomers made an impact in the big win, including Ariel Dale with her first career point from the free throw line and a personal-best eight points from Gretchen Moll.
No. 15 TU will head to Marion, Indiana for the Indiana Wesleyan Classic, beginning on Friday with a bout against Lawrence Tech (3-1) at 8:00 pm.