Trojans Come up Short in Rivalry Matchup at IWU

MARION, Ind. – The Taylor women's basketball team fell 81-65 to Indiana Wesleyan Wednesday night in the latest installment of the cross-county rivalry at Luckey Arena. Both teams received votes in the national coaches' Top 25 poll earlier in the day, as the Trojans drop to 16-5 (6-5 CL) on the season.

Kaycie Warfel led the way with 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting, which included four treys. The freshman guard has tallied at least 20 points in all but four games this season. Fellow freshman Madi Allen is averaging 13.5 points over the previous four outings after she poured in 15 points with four rebounds and two assists. Celina Blount reached double figures with 11 points and team-high six boards.

TU jumped out to an early 6-5 advantage following back-to-back 3-pointers made by Warfel. But the Trojans never led again in the contest after the host Wildcats caught fire in the first quarter. IWU (12-9, 6-5 CL) outscored the Trojans 17-6 throughout the remainder of the opening period to claim a 22-12 lead heading to the second quarter. The Wildcats drained all four of their first-half threes in the first period.

With just over five minutes before halftime, a jumper made by Marissa Trout cut the deficit to eight points at 28-20 but it was the closest the Trojans would get before the intermission. The Trojans shot nearly 60 percent in the second quarter but couldn't string together defensive stops to cut into the deficit, with the Wildcats taking a 41-29 lead into halftime after Allen buried a jumper at the buzzer. IWU's Addi Hovey and Ayla Krygier did most of the damage and carried the Wildcats all night, combining for 27 points in the first half alone.

After the break, TU quickly pulled back within single digits when a pair of layups by Blount and Quinn Kelly made the score 44-35 in the opening minutes. Then, another pair of back-to-back threes from Warfel sliced the deficit to seven with IWU leading 48-41 at the five-minute mark, and the momentum in the Trojans' favor.

However, the Wildcats responded with a crushing 17-3 run over the remainder of the third quarter and maintained its lead through the rest of the game. The Trojans shot 0 for 6 from three-point range with three turnovers during IWU's decisive third-quarter run, while the Wildcats made 7 of 9 from the field with a pair of treys.

Both teams shot at a 42-percent clip overall from the field, with IWU knocking down 37.5 percent (9-24) from beyond the arc and 20 of 21 (95.2%) attempts at the free-throw line. The Trojans were limited to 26.3 percent from deep and made 16 of 26 (61.5%) from the charity stripe. TU registered a 21-6 edge in points off turnovers, while causing 17 takeaways.

Krygier led all scorers with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Hovey finished with 19 and eight boards to pace the Wildcats.

Following the result, TU and IWU split the season series with each team winning on its home floor. The Trojans dropped their seventh straight meeting against the Wildcats in Marion.

Taylor returns to Odle Arena for Saturday's 1 p.m. tipoff against Bethel (14-7, 5-6 CL).