Dominant Second Half Propels Trojans to Key League Victory

UPLAND, Ind. – A tight game early in the second half turned into a comfortable win for Taylor as the Trojans held Marian to just 26 points in a 69-59 victory on Saturday afternoon.

A slim lead at the break quickly evaporated as Marian hit its first three shots, and a TU turnover opened the door for the game to be level at 38 less than a minute after the restart.

The defense ramped up and held the Knights to just seven points in the next ten minutes, and quality team offense on the other end opened up a 12-point lead for the home squad, its largest of the afternoon, at 57-45.

Taylor kept their opponents at arm's length the rest of the way as Anton Webb controlled the paint in the final four minutes, with five of his 13 rebounds and four of his team-high 26 points.

The senior had a balanced game, scoring in double figures in both halves and adding three first-half assists on a day he shot over 80 percent from the field.

Both squads were hot from the tip, trading baskets in the first six minutes with the score knotted five separate times combined with five lead changes. A combined 13-19 from the field gave the crowd plenty to cheer for, with the score level at 15.

Marian took a brief three-point lead before Pete Combs fueled a 14-0 run for the Trojans, scoring seven of his ten first-half points with most of the damage coming in the paint, as 20 of TU's 36 first-half points came down low.

The Knights slowly chipped away at the lead as Taylor struggled from the charity stripe, allowing Marian ( 10-12, 4-8 CL) to cut it to a three-point lead at the half, sitting at 36-33.

Chaz Harvey added 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Izaiah Day came off the bench for nine points on an efficient five shots as the Trojans shot over 57 percent from the field and a pristine 43.8 percent from three-point land.

The painted area is where TU controlled the game, winning the rebounding battle 38-30 and outscoring Marian 34-18 down low, as Webb and Combs used their superior size to full advantage.

Taylor (12-10, 5-7 CL) continues Crossroads League action on the road against No. 12 Grace (18-4, 10-2 CL) on Wednesday, February 5, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 pm.