TOP-20 CLASH ENDS IN DEFEAT FOR TROJANS
Box Score
The No. 18 Taylor women's basketball team went down-to-the-wire with No. 12 Huntington in a hotly-contested Mid-Central College Conference showdown between two of the league's top teams which resulted in an 84-79 defeat for the visiting Trojans.
For Taylor (15-8, 6-4), it was the third game against a Top-25 opponent in the last four contests. It was also the second time in as many weeks that the Trojans have been part of the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Game of the Week. In their first NAIA showcase game, Taylor defeated then No. 10 Bethel, 84-66.
Taylor and Huntington first met this season in early December when the 6th-ranked Foresters came to Odle Arena with a perfect 8-0 record. On that night the Trojans dismantled HU 61-45 thanks to a career night from freshman Nellie Eskew. But this time around, a hot-shooting Forester squad was too much for the Trojans to overcome.
With just over three minutes to play in the second half, Huntington built their largest lead of the game at 75-66. As the clock ticked down, Taylor found a way to make time stand still by nailing eight straight free throws over the next 1:44 of action.
Senior Paige Rudolph drained the last of those free throws with 1:18 remaining to bring Taylor within two points at 78-76, but a string of missed opportunities by the Trojans allowed Huntington (16-4, 7-2) to score the next six points and sealed their league-leading seventh victory.
There were 6 lead changes in the game and 13 ties. Rudolph led the Trojans in the scoring column with 20 points and also dished out 5 assists. Junior Bethany Ballard continued her strong play with 18 points on 7 of 12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line. Starting just her fourth game of the season, Tasha Marshall had an impressive stat line with 8 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
After leading by as many as nine in the first half, HU went to the break with a 34-28 advantage. The Foresters shot 48.3 percent in the opening 20 minutes compared to just 41.7 percent for the Trojans.
Both teams were on fire in the second half as Huntington connected on 64 percent of their attempts from the field and Taylor shot 59.4 percent. The nation's fifth-best free throw shooting team, Taylor shot only 69.2 percent (18-for-26) from the line for the game.
Lauren Davenport and Sarah Miller each scored 19 points to lead the Foresters' offensive effort.
Huntington maintains a game lead for first place in the MCC standings, while Taylor falls into a two-way tie for third place.
Taylor had previously won the last six matchups in the HU-TU series by an average margin of 16 points. Tonight marked the first Forester victory in the rivalry since a 74-72 overtime thriller played in Upland on January 28, 2006.
Up next, Taylor will take on Spring Arbor (11-10, 4-5) at home in Odle Arena this Saturday at 1 p.m.