Taylor Battles Back but Falls Short at Goshen, 73-64

GOSHEN, Ind. – RV Taylor battled back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter but came up short on the road, falling 73-64 to Goshen College on Wednesday night.

The loss drops the Trojans to 16-7 overall and 6-7 in Crossroads League play, while Goshen improved to 4-19 (1-12 CL) overall with its first CL victory of the season.

Kaycie Warfel led all Taylor scorers with 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, adding six steals in 30 minutes of action. The freshman guard went 6 for 7 from the free-throw line. Emma Fohl finished with 15 points, five assists and five steals in a team-high 35 minutes. The sophomore guard was instrumental in Taylor's second-half fight, shooting 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 6 from three-point range. Marissa Trout and Madi Allen each contributed 10 points, while Quinn Kelly led Taylor with six rebounds.

Taylor raced out to an 8-4 lead in the early moments of the game, but Goshen seized control with a 10-0 run and never trailed again, leading 19-13 after one period. The Maple Leafs finished the opening stanza shooting a scorching 61.5 percent from the field while connecting on three first-quarter 3-pointers. Goshen extended its advantage to 12 points by halftime at 39-27, shooting 57.1 percent overall and a remarkable 77.8 percent from three-point range (7-of-9) in the opening 20 minutes. The Maple Leafs entered the game shooting just 26.0 percent from beyond the arc on the season.

After halftime, Goshen opened the second half with back-to-back baskets to push the lead to 43-27, forcing a Taylor timeout just under two minutes into the third quarter.

The Trojans responded with determination, chipping away at the deficit throughout the period. A made free throw by Kalyn Bunch pulled Taylor within 10 at 47-37 with 4:41 remaining, though Goshen pushed the margin back to 16 at 53-37 two minutes later. Taylor closed the quarter with a 6-0 run, capped by a jumper from Allen with 34 seconds left, to trim the deficit to 53-43 heading into the final period.

The Trojans outscored Goshen 16-14 in the third quarter and held the Maple Leafs to 0-for-4 shooting from three-point range after the torrid first half.

Taylor mounted one final surge, with Fohl sparking a run after she connected on a 3-pointer, followed by a steal and fastbreak layup to ignite the comeback attempt. Warfel added a steal, and Trout converted a layup to cut the deficit to single digits at 61-52 with just under five minutes to play.

Warfel's jumper made it 62-55, and her free throws trimmed the margin to 64-57. The Trojans pulled within six points at 66-60 with 1:38 remaining, but Goshen sealed the victory from the free-throw line down the stretch.

Taylor faced an uphill battle on the boards, as Goshen dominated the rebounding margin 42-29. The Trojans did force 24 turnovers but struggled to convert those opportunities into points consistently. Taylor shot 36.9 percent from the field for the game and just 20.0 percent from three-point range (4-20), while Goshen finished with a season-high 49.1 percent overall shooting and a season-best 50.0 percent from three-point range (8-16) — both marks representing the Maple Leafs' highest shooting percentages since defeating Taylor at home last season, when they also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc.

For Goshen, Ava Egolf and Carrie Hiler each scored 16 points to pace the Maple Leafs' balanced attack. Nasiya Gause added 14 points, including three first-half 3-pointers that helped build the early lead. Kyla Foster recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds while dishing out seven assists, and Lillian Null contributed seven points and nine rebounds.

RV Taylor returns to action on Saturday afternoon when the Trojans travel to No. 5 Marian (21-2, 11-2 CL), with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. in Indianapolis.