Blistering Second Half Leads Taylor Past Mount Vernon Nazarene in CL Tilt

UPLAND, Ind. – 58 points after halftime while shooting over 80 percent from the field led the Trojans to a Crossroads League victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene, 87-79, on Saturday afternoon inside Odle Arena.

Taylor trailed 38-29 at the break but came out on fire and never cooled off in a torrid second half, where only four shots from the field went array, and the home squad carded 16 assists on 20 made buckets.

Every starter made a bucket in the first six minutes of the second half as TU went on a 19-1 run which gave it a lead it would never relinquish. The balance on the offensive end put the Cougars on their heels and allowed the Trojans to get into a rhythm, which lasted the rest of the game.

Buckets started falling on both ends of the court and eventually, MVNU got within a possession at 59-56, with almost nine minutes remaining.  Kaden Fuhrmann got hot from beyond the arc and splashed home a trio of triples in two minutes of game action to stretch the lead back to nine as the senior scored 17 of his team-high 26 after halftime.

The Cougars didn't go away easily, keeping the lead in single-digits and hitting some key three-pointers throughout the rest of the half. It was to no avail, with the Trojan offense operating at a high level.

Anton Webb swiped one of his four second-half steals and slammed it home on a breakaway to cap the terrific performance. Webb totaled 10 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three assists, and a block in a stat-sheet-stuffing outing for the senior.

Taylor (5-2, 1-1 CL) hit enough free throws down the stretch to secure the victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene (3-4, 0-2 CL) in front of a tenacious crowd.

The Trojans came out of the opening tip shooting terrific as well, scoring 16 points in the first five minutes of the contest before cooling off and seeing only three made field goals for the next 14 minutes, including a pair of triples from Fuhrmann, which kept TU within shouting distance.

A complete team performance saw TU assist 19 of 30 baskets, and seven separate players recording an assist and eight players score a bucket. The Trojans shot a fantastic 62.5 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point land while outrebounding the Cougars 39-25.

Chaz Harvey ran the offense to perfection in the second half, ending with six of his seven assists and 11 of his 16 points. Jackson Ullom was the final Trojan to hit double figures with 12 points to go along with three assists and four rebounds.

Taylor plays back inside Odle Arena on Wednesday, November 27, with a matchup against Ohio Christian (5-1) on Thanksgiving Eve in a brief reprieve from Crossroads League play.