Taylor Unable to Keep Pace with No. 20 Northwestern in NAIA First Round Defeat

NAIA Tournament Central

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Taylor (19-11) kept up with No. 20 Northwestern for the first ten minutes before being blown away, 100-63, in the First Round of the NAIA Tournament on Friday.

A terrific season for TU saw them receive an at-large selection for the first time since the 2016-17 year, where they were matched up with Northwestern, who have the top offense in the NAIA in terms of scoring, and shooting percentage.

Despite the loss Taylor hit 11 three-pointers, which put their season mark at 316, the most in program history. It surpasses the 2016-17 mark of 314 for the program record. 

The Trojans matched the Red Raiders shot-for-shot out of the gate, with neither team leading by more than three and ten lead changes in the first 12 minutes on the court. Carson Gould knocked down a jumper near the eight-minute mark to give TU a slim 29-27 advantage, in what would be the last lead of the evening for the away team.

Northwestern (27-5) went on a 15-0 run to take a commanding 42-29 lead thereafter and led by double digits for all but 24 seconds the rest of the way, pushing the halftime lead to 55-37.

Taylor struggled mightily in the second half, shooting under 30 percent and giving the ball away nine times while the Red Raiders offense could not be slowed.

Izaiah Day and Anthony McGhee led the Trojans with 17 and 15 points respectively as the duo of guards shot 12-22 from the field and 6-11 from beyond the arc. No other Trojan reached double figures as the offense stalled after a terrific start.

Levin Smith dished out a career-high five assists and blocked a pair of shots off the bench. Anor Wogar poured in eight points from the bench, as the bench nearly matched the starters with 31 points in the contest.

Northwestern was led by the top-two leading scores in the NAIA, Jesse Van Kalsbeek and Jalen Langsy, who combined for 57 points on 36 shots.

The 19 wins this season is the most for Taylor since a 21-win campaign in 2016-17 ended in a NAIA Second Round defeat at the buzzer. A youthful roster and momentum under Head Coach Austin Peters has the Future looking up for the Trojans.