No. 24 Taylor Comes Up Short Against No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan After Fast Start

MARION, Ind. – No. 24 Taylor (16-5, 8-3 CL) came out brilliantly on Wednesday night against No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan, but the offense cooled and the Trojans fell 72-63 on the road.

The Trojans started brightly hitting their first eight shots to build a 21-9 lead. Taylor continued to be in control of the contest leading 25-15 after a layup by Levin Smith with just over nine minutes remaining in the opening half.

No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan (18-3, 8-3 CL) mounted a furious comeback, scoring the next 11 points and TU did not score for the next seven minutes until Pete Combs hit s free throw to draw even with the Wildcats.

Izaiah Day hit a triple and a layup by Carson Gould gave Taylor a slim 31-29 lead at the break. Day led all players in the first half with 11 points, including a trio of three pointers.

The Wildcats came out firing after halftime, scoring the first ten points to take a 39-31 lead. Caedmon Bontrager broke out with 17 of his 26 points after the break. The senior hit three triples, matching his career best.

Taylor stayed within shouting distance throughout much of the second half, getting within four after Day converted a layup off an offensive rebound. Indiana Wesleyan scored the next five points to put an end to Taylor's late rally.

After shooting a sizzling 54.5 percent from three in the first half TU shot 1-12 from beyond the arc in the second to seal its fate in the cross-county rivalry game.

Day led the Trojan with 21 points, while Combs added 17 and a game-high six rebounds. Anthony McGhee was the final Trojan in double digits with ten as the Trojans starters outscored their counterparts 55-54.

No. 24 Taylor looks to get back in the win column back inside Odle Arena against No. 10 Bethel (18-3, 8-3) on Saturday, January 31st at 3:00 pm.