TU Drops Road Affair to Hot-Shooting Foresters
HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Taylor failed to secure a third-straight win over an opponent ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top-25, as RV Huntington drilled 14-of-26 three-pointers and held off a Trojan rally for an 89-83 win.
TU scored upsets of No. 6 Marian and No. 23 Spring Arbor in its previous two games by limiting the teams to a combined 38.5-percent shooting from the field and a collective 18-of-51 showing from beyond the arc for a 25.5-percent clip.
The Foresters (8-3, 1-2 CL) could not be held in check, solving the Trojan defense by shooting 52.4 percent for the game and a blistering 53.9 percent from three-point territory. TU could not keep pace, shooting 10-of-30 from deep and only 10-of-33 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
The shooting differential propelled Huntington to an early 14-4 advantage that swelled to as many as 16 on the way to a 13-point lead at the break. HU continued to pour it on and opened a 74-54 lead with just under seven minutes to go.
Taylor refused to fold however and mounted a furious comeback over the final minutes, using a 25-10 surge to close to within five points with 1:37 showing on the clock. Another defensive stop gave TU the ball with a chance to draw within a single possession, but a three was off the mark and Huntington held on for the six-point win.
The Trojans played well in the loss, nearly overcoming the three-point disparity by committing only eight turnovers and converting 15-of-18 free throws. Taylor also held a 14-6 edge in second-chance points, outscored HU by a 20-6 margin off turnovers and poured in 54 second-half points.
Ryan Robinson led the way yet again, this time collecting a season-high with 25 points to go with five rebounds, five assists and two steals. The junior point guard has now scored at least 20 points in seven-of-11 games this season and is 25 points shy of becoming TU’s 43rd player in program history and third this season to reach 1,000-career points.
Mason Degenkolb scored 18 points to climb over the 1,100-point mark for his career, while James McCloud added 10 points and seven rebounds. Jason Hubbard, CJ Penha and Jake Heggeland all netted eight points each.
Taylor (4-7, 2-2 CL) will now turn its focus to the 22nd-Annual Silent Night Game on Friday at 6:00 pm, when it hosts Grace Christian (10-5) inside Odle Arena.
