No. 21 Spring Arbor Defeats Taylor in CL Play

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Playing its fifth straight ranked opponent, #RV Taylor women's basketball fell to No. 21 Spring Arbor 83-61 on Wednesday evening at American 1 Credit Union Arena.

Kaycie Warfel led TU (14-4, 4-4 CL) with 23 points on 6-of-18 shooting while Madi Allen added 11 points. Celina Blount contributed four points, five rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Marissa Trout chipped in with seven points, while Emma Ancelet posted six points and six boards.

The Trojans shot 46.0 percent from the field but struggled with ball security against Spring Arbor's aggressive defense with 25 turnovers – the most turnovers committed by the Trojans in a league game this season.

Spring Arbor (16-2, 7-1 CL) raced to a 10-0 lead in the opening 3:30 and extended the advantage to 14-3 at the media timeout as TU struggled with five turnovers and 1-of-7 shooting. After falling behind 16-3, Trout and Warfel connected on consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 16-9. The Cougars shot 62.5 percent in the opening quarter while TU managed just 31.3 percent, carrying a 23-13 lead into the second period.

The Trojans chipped away in the second quarter. Fohl's driving scoop layup made it 32-24 with four minutes left. Quinn Kelly and Blount scored on consecutive fastbreak layups to pull TU within 35-28 with 2:22 remaining, but Spring Arbor pushed the lead back to 40-31 by halftime.

The Cougars seized control in the third quarter with a 10-0 run over the opening 2:15 to extend their advantage to 50-31. Blount's putback layup stopped the run, and Allen drove for a left-handed layup near the five-minute mark to trim the deficit to 52-39, but it wasn't enough as Spring Arbor carried a 63-45 lead into the final period.

TU showed fight early in the fourth quarter. Allen drilled a 3-pointer to make it 65-52 with 8:22 remaining as the Trojans outscored Spring Arbor 7-2 while shooting 3-of-4 from the field to open the frame. Trout's breakaway layup shortly after kept the deficit at 13 points at 67-54, but the Cougars closed with a 13-0 run to pull away for the 22-point victory.

The Cougars, who entered the contest leading the league in steals and forced turnovers, converted the Trojan miscues into 28 points while holding TU to just 10 points off turnovers.

With the victory, Spring Arbor remained unbeaten on its home floor (7-0) while earning its fourth consecutive win.

Megan Zeitz led four Spring Arbor players in double digits with 14 points. The Cougars shot 51.5 percent from the field and knocked down 7 of 13 (53.8 %) three-point attempts.

After a three-game stretch of road games, Taylor will look to bounce back Saturday at home against Mount Vernon Nazarene (6-12, 2-6 CL). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Odle Arena.