Warfel Pours in 37, Trojans Rally Past Titans 80-72 in Home Opener

UPLAND, Ind. – Kaycie Warfel delivered an impressive 37-point performance to lead Taylor women's basketball past IU South Bend 80-72 at Odle Arena Saturday night in the Trojans' home opener.

Warfel's 37 points is tied for the fifth best single-game scoring performance in TU women's basketball program history, as the freshman converted 13-of-24 shots from the floor and added nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.

TU (2-0) rallied from a halftime deficit after trailing by as many as 12 points in the second quarter and seized control late in the contest. The Trojans outscored the Titans 22-12 in the fourth period to seal the win, shooting 60 percent (9 of 15) over the final 10 minutes of the contest while limiting IUSB to 26.7-percent shooting during that span.

Madi Allen and Celina Blount each scored in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Emma Fohl dished out a team-high seven assists while Quinn Kelly secured seven boards, including four on the offensive glass.

The opening quarter featured back-and-forth action with neither team establishing firm control. IUSB's Bradie Chambers converted all five of her first-half field goal attempts and finished with 12 points in the opening period to pace the Titans. Warfel completed a three-point play at the 4:46 mark to tie the game at 7-7, but IUSB closed the opening frame with an 8-4 spurt to take a 19-11 lead.

The Titans extended their advantage to 11 points at 22-11 early in the second quarter before TU began chipping away. Blount knocked down a 3-pointer and followed with a steal and layup to cut the gap to 25-18. Warfel then scored five consecutive points, capping a personal 7-2 run with a three-point play to knot the score at 30-30 with 4:12 remaining until halftime. Kelly converted a jumper to tie the game again at 32-32, but IUSB answered with a 9-5 stretch to carry a 41-37 advantage into intermission.

TU trailed by nine at 49-40 in the third quarter before climbing back. Allen converted a jumper off a Fohl assist at 7:42 to make it 47-40, and Warfel followed with back-to-back layups to bring the Trojans within two at 51-49. Whitney Warfel tied the game at 51-51 with 4:23 on the clock, and Kaycie Warfel's free throws gave TU its first lead since early in the contest at 58-56. The teams traded baskets over the final minute, with IUSB holding a 60-58 edge heading into the fourth quarter.

After falling behind 65-61, a Kaycie Warfel trey followed by Allen's old-fashioned three-point play put the Trojans in the lead for good with 7:38 remaining in the game. Those pair of buckets sparked a key 12-0 run for the Trojans as Marissa Trout's layup put TU ahead 73-65 near the five-minute mark.

IUSB refused to fold, storming back to pull within one at 73-72 with 3:32 left after converting free throws.

Then, Fohl delivered the shot of the night by draining a clutch 3-pointer at 3:16 to give TU breathing room at 76-72. Blount came up with a critical steal moments later, and Kaycie Warfel finished at the rim twice in the final minute to close out the victory.

The Trojans connected on 48 percent of their overall shot attempts compared to 41 percent for the Titans. TU also held advantages in assists (15-10) and fastbreak points (14-4) while capitalizing on 21 IUSB turnovers to score 23 points.

Chambers paced the Titans with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Tenleigh Phelps added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Titans, who dropped to 1-1 on the season. Aubrie Booker contributed 14 points off 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

TU will return to action on Wednesday evening, when it welcomes RV Olivet Nazarene to Upland. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. inside Odle Arena.