Gould Sets Assists Record with 13 in Blowout Victory Over Marian

UPLAND, Ind. – RV Taylor dominated Marian (4-11, 2-3 CL) from tip to buzzer on Saturday afternoon, cruising to an 88-58 victory as Crossroads League picked back up inside Odle Arena.

Carson Gould set the Taylor program record for assists in a game with 13 as he continues to thrive as the starting point guard. The freshman has seven helpers in the first and six more in the second to surpass the previous record of 12 set by Ryan Sorrell in 1990. Gould accomplishes the feat in just his 15th collegiate game and seventh as a starter.

The Trojan offense continues to thrive in Head Coach Austin Peter's second year at the helm. The depth was on display as all 11 players who saw the court scored while ten of them hit a shot from beyond the arc, with the team shooting 16-28 from long range. The ball movement was crisp, with 29 assists on 34 field goals and nine players tallying at least one.

29 total assists is the most for Taylor (12-3, 4-1 CL) since dishing out 34 in 2009 against OSU-Marion in a 109-59 route. The 30-point margin of victory is also the highest for Taylor in Crossroads League play in program history.

Levin Smith received his first collegiate start and was terrific, scoring 11 first half points on a perfect 5-5 from the field, including one from long range. Smith added a bucket in the second and four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in a fantastic debut in the starting lineup.

The Trojans forced an early timeout with buckets on four of their first five possessions and after the Knights cut the lead to four, a 12-0 run fueled by Pete Combs, who scored or assisted on every point during the stretch put the game away sooner than expected. Combs totaled 11 points in just 12 minutes on the floor and added three assists.

The electric offense by the Purple and Gray was unmatched, as they poured in 47 first half points and shot over 60 percent while hitting eight threes. Anthony McGhee led the team in scoring with 18 points, 16 of them in the first half on a perfect 6-6 from the field and 4-4 from downtown in the first half.

Taylor gave Marian no glimmer of hope in the second half, keeping the lead at 20 or more the entire way and pushed it 35 with just over a minute remaining after a triple by Nathan Baker.

The offense has grabbed the headlines, but the defense by the Trojans was impressive as well, holding Marian to just 58 points, 15 points under its season average. The Knights had a pair of players score 12 apiece to lead the team but shot under 42 percent from the field.

The dominance on the floor was evident in many ways included Taylor outscoring Marian 36-16 in the paint and 36-20 from the bench.

Taylor continues Crossroads League play on Wednesday, January 7th, beginning a three-game road trip against Saint Francis (6-8, 1-4 CL), with tip scheduled for 7:30 pm.