RV Taylor Leans on Defense to Keep Streak Alive

GLENDALE, Ariz. – RV Taylor earned its 13th consecutive victory by overcoming an off-shooting night to defeat Arizona Christian 70-57 Thursday at the ACU Events Center.

Taylor (13-0, 4-0 CL), one of 10 undefeated NAIA teams remaining, sustained its lead much of the night by forcing 25 ACU turnovers, including 13 steals.

TU outscored the hosts 27-10 in points off turnovers during the contest, while keeping its opponent to under 70 points in the seventh straight outing.

Kaycie Warfel led with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-28 shooting and 5-of-11 from three-point range. The freshman also grabbed six rebounds with a pair of steals.

Madi Allen filled the stat sheet with 15 points, a team-high nine rebounds and five steals. Emma Fohl dished a team-high five assists while Quinn Kelly grabbed eight boards.

The Trojans shot below 30 percent overall from the field before heating up late. Warfel and Allen combined for 18 of Taylor's 22 points in the fourth quarter.

ACU (3-9), which dropped its fifth straight game, climbed back to within a point, 42-41, after knocking down a pair of made 3-pointers with under a minute remaining in the third quarter. The hosts stormed back after trailing by 13 shortly after halftime, outscoring TU 18-8 while limiting the Trojans to just two made shots on their first 17 attempts in the third period.

Then, Warfel took over and countered with back-to-back 3-pointers of her own, with the second trey coming at the third quarter buzzer to put Taylor back in front by seven, 48-41.

After the lead was trimmed to one, the Trojans outscored the Firestorm 28-16 the rest of the way on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from three-point range.

Allen got the scoring started in the fourth quarter before Warfel hit another pair of triples, extending the lead back to double digits with under five minutes left in regulation.

TU trailed 7-2 early in the opening quarter before a putback layup from Emma Ancelet made it a one-point game at 9-8. Warfel followed with six consecutive points to reclaim the lead, while Fohl drained a triple to help the Trojans build an 18-14 advantage after one period of action.

In the second quarter, the Trojans used a 9-0 run to take control of the contest by holding ACU scoreless for over seven minutes. Celina Blount's made 3-pointer put the Trojans ahead by 13 with under two minutes, before the Purple & Gray took a 34-23 lead into the halftime break.

TU collected 14 offensive boards and registered a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points during the first half. Overall, the Trojans doubled up the Firestorm in offensive boards, 18-9, despite total rebounds being even at 44-44. 

Both teams shot below 40 percent overall. TU shot 31.2 percent (24-77) from the field and 9 of 32 (28.1%) from distance. The Trojans finished 13 for 19 (68.4%) at the free-throw line. ACU shot 38.9 percent overall (21-54) and 4 of 14 (28.6%) from three-point range, while going 11 for 19 (57.9%) at the charity stripe.

Taylor Schwab led three ACU players in double figures with 20 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

Thursday's victory marked the first win for the Trojans over Arizona Christian. It was only the second meeting after the two teams previously played in Arizona during the 2017-18 campaign.

TU returns to action on Tuesday, December 30, when No. 22 Indiana Tech (8-3) visits Upland for a 6 p.m. tipoff inside Odle Arena.