Trojans Visit Hinkle Fieldhouse for Exhibition Contest Against Butler
INDIANAPOLIS – Playing its second exhibition game in back-to-back nights against an NCAA Division I opponent, the Taylor University women's basketball team fell 95-63 to Butler inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening.
Freshman Kaycie Warfel led all scorers with 21 points and three steals while junior Whitney Warfel also reached double figures with 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore transfer Celina Blount chipped in seven points and eight boards, along with a team-high four assists dished out by freshman Emma Ancelet.
TU started strong and led 9-7 at the 7:12 mark of the first quarter as Kaycie Warfel accounted for 11 of the Trojans' first 13 points. The Trojans trailed by seven after the opening frame, and kept the deficit within single digits at halftime, 45-36, after trading baskets with the Bulldogs throughout the second quarter. Both teams posted the same shooting totals during the first half at 43.8 percent (14 of 32) from the field.
Back-to-back buckets on a Blount 3-pointer and Whitney Warfel putback trimmed the deficit to four within two minutes until the halftime break.
Overall, the Trojans shot 36.4 percent from the field and knocked down five treys – one more than the Bulldogs. Blount drained a pair of treys while Kaycie Warfel, Kallie Almond and Kendall Sietsema each connected on a shot attempt from beyond the arc.
Almond and Sietsema combined for 11 of the Trojans' 16 points scored in the fourth quarter. The Trojans' reserves accounted for 27 points on the night. TU also outscored Butler 15-11 in second-chance points.
TU (1-0), which opened with an impressive 19-point road victory over Holy Cross, returns to regular-season action with its home opener this Saturday. Tipoff against IU South Bend is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Odle Arena.
