Trojans Survive Late Scare to Extend Winning Streak to 11

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – A missed free throw by Spring Arbor with 1.9 seconds remaining allowed No. 23 Taylor (15-3, 7-1 CL) to breathe a sigh of relief and travel back to Upland with its 11th victory in a row on Wednesday night.

A comeback beginning in the late first half eventually propelled Taylor to a 67-57 lead with just over a minute remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the Cougars were able to get back into the game due to some poor shooting from the charity stripe, as TU shot 4-9 at the end of the game and just over 50 percent in the entire game.

Spring Arbor (9-9, 2-6 CL) had the ball down two with seven seconds left and after Taylor deflected the ball out of bounds, were able to draw a foul on the inbounds play to send Dante Favor to the free throw line with a chance to tie it.

The forward, who finished with an impressive 19-point 14 rebound double-double, sank the first but had the second clang of the side rim, which ended the game in agonizing fashion for the Cougars.

Taylor had its lowest scoring game of the season and shot just 36.1 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Trojans overcame it by limiting itself to seven turnovers and playing terrific defense to the tune of Spring Arbor shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three-point land.

Pete Combs and TJ Davidson led the Trojans with 13 points apiece, while Combs pulled down nine rebounds. Seven Trojans scored between 7 and 13 in a balanced offensive effort, and Levin Smith led the charge defensively with five blocks.

After a tough first half offensively, Taylor found its rhythm as four different players scored in the first five minutes of the second half to take a slim 43-40 lead after a breakaway dunk by Izaiah Day.

Nathan Baker hit a three to extend the lead to six, after which TU went cold and did not score for four minutes of game time but held SAU to four points in the stretch to maintain a small advantage.

Day quickly poured in five points to give Taylor a 51-44 lead before the Cougars clawed within a bucket at 53-51. The Trojans responded to grab its largest lead of the night before the unfortunate foul shooting set up a nail-biting finish.

The Taylor offense struggled out of the gate offensively, with Combs the only Trojan to make a field goal in the first five minutes, pouring in a trio of buckets to keep the game tight.

Davidson was dynamic in the first half, scoring eight of 11 points for TU in a decisive 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time on the night at 30-27. The backup point guard scored 11 points in the opening half on a pristine 4-5 shooting from the field and perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.

No. 23 Taylor plays back inside Odle Arena for the first time since early January with a matchup against Mount Vernon Nazarene (12-6, 4-4 CL) on Saturday, January 17th, with tip scheduled for 3:00 pm.