TROJANS UPSET NO. 5 SHAWNEE STATE
WILMORE, Ky. – The Taylor women’s basketball team knocked down a season-high 13 triples to knock off NAIA Division I No. 5 Shawnee State 78-70 on Saturday.
Sophomore Becca Buchs scored a career-high 16 points, connecting on five-of-six shots from beyond the arc to lead the Trojans’ long-range barrage as four different Trojans tallied at least two triples and TU hit 13-of-29 shots from 3-point range.
Taylor’s Kendall Bradbury opened the game with a triple but Shawnee State quickly took control in the opening stanza, unleashing a 14-0 run to build an 11-point advantage midway through the first quarter en route to a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The TU offense found its rhythm in the second quarter as the Purple and Gold connected on 10-of-15 shots from the field, including five-of-eight from long-range. Taylor outscored the Bears 28-14 in the quarter to turn a nine-point deficit into a five-point halftime advantage.
After Shawnee State opened the second half with five quick points to knot the game at 40-40 the Trojans ripped off nine straight points, including a triple of senior Josie Cobb to build a 49-40 advantage midway through the third quarter.
The Bears (5-3) cut the lead to one at 58-57 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter but back-to-back triples from Buchs allowed the Trojans to rebuild a lead that TU never relinquished on its way to a 78-70 win.
Fresh off a season-high 34 points on Friday night, Bradbury continued her stellar play with 22 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists for her sixth double-double of the season. Cobb and Buchs each tallied 16 points while senior Cassidy Wyse added 12 points. Abby Buchs added five points for Taylor with Aubrey Wright finishing with four and Jamie Netzley tallying three to round out the scoring for Taylor.
Taylor (4-4) shot 48.3-percent from the floor (28-58), including 44.8-pecent (13-29) from 3-point range while also connecting on nine-of-11 from the free throw line. The Trojans also enjoyed a 42-37 advantage on the glass and dished out 19 assists.
The win was Taylor’s first victory over a ranked opponent since TU knocked off No. 25 Huntington on Jan. 4, 2017 and Taylor’s first victory over a top-5 team from NAIA Division I or II since TU defeated No. 4 Saint Francis 79-65 on Dec. 1, 2010.
The Trojans will open Crossroads League play on Tuesday as TU travels to Bethel for a 5:00 pm start in Mishawaka, Indiana.