Third Quarter Rally Can't Lift RV Taylor Past No. 5 Marian

INDIANAPOLIS – RV Taylor mounted a spirited third-quarter rally but could not overcome fifth-ranked Marian, falling 78-55 on Saturday afternoon at the PE Center. The setback marks the Trojans' fourth consecutive defeat, while the Knights extended their winning streak to five games. Taylor drops to 16-8 overall and 6-8 in Crossroads League play, while Marian improves to 22-2 overall (12-2 CL).

Kaycie Warfel led Taylor with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds with two steals. Madi Allen contributed eight points, while going a perfect 6 for 6 at the charity stripe, and pulled down four rebounds. Emma Fohl finished with five points, four assists and two steals in 34 minutes, while Kendall Sietsema and Marissa Trout each added five points off the bench.

For Marian, Abbey McNally posted a game-high 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting and pulled down a whopping 23 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. Taylor Double added 14 points with three three-pointers, while Kenna Kirby contributed 12 points off the bench.

Playing in one of the toughest environments in the league — Marian is now 11-1 at home this season and an imposing 58-4 at the PE Center over the past four seasons — the Trojans faced an uphill battle after trailing by 19 in the second quarter.

Despite its struggles on the offensive end of the floor, Taylor briefly cut a 16-point halftime deficit to five points before Marian's second-half execution proved too much to overcome.

Taylor opened the third period with renewed energy, storming back with a 7-0 run in the opening minute. Fohl capped the spurt with a 3-pointer to make it 40-29, and the Trojans extended their surge to 9-0 when Quinn Kelly connected on an elbow jumper at the 6:30 mark to pull within nine at 40-31. Allen tacked on four made free throws, completing a 15-2 Taylor run over three-plus minutes.

Kelly's floater at 5:30 cut the deficit to just five points at 42-37, the closest Taylor would come to erasing the gap.

The Trojans started the period 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, and Warfel's free throw with under five minutes remaining made it 44-38. McKayah Musselman added a layup at 3:40 to trim the margin to 46-40, but Marian answered with a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 run. The Knights hit another three-pointer to push the lead to 52-40 at 2:17, and Taylor went without a field goal over the final 3:40 of the quarter as Marian closed on an 11-1 run. The Knights outscored the Trojans 15-4 down the stretch after Taylor had outscored them 15-4 to open the period, taking a 57-41 lead into the final quarter.

Marian extended its advantage to 20 points early in the fourth quarter and maintained control the rest of the way.

The Knights committed just two turnovers in the entire second half after 10 in the first, limiting Taylor's transition opportunities. Marian finished with a 14-2 turnover advantage in the second half and scored 21 second half points off turnovers, contributing to a 32-6 margin in that category for the game. The Knights also dominated the glass with a 44-32 rebounding edge and outscored Taylor 21-0 in second-chance points.

Warfel opened the game's scoring with a driving baseline layup for a 2-0 lead, and Allen added a pull-up jumper to tie the game at 4-4 midway through the first quarter. However, Marian responded with a 6-0 run to take a 10-4 advantage. Warfel converted a fast-break layup near the four-minute mark to pull Taylor within 10-6, but the Knights closed the first quarter strong, outscoring the Trojans 10-3 over the final three minutes to take a 20-9 lead into the second period. Taylor shot just 2 of 13 over the final seven minutes of the quarter while Marian finished 5 of 7 down the stretch.

The second quarter proved difficult for Taylor's offense, as the Trojans went scoreless for over four minutes of game action. Warfel broke the drought with a layup at the 8:38 mark to make it 22-11, and Allen knocked down a pair of free throws at 6:18 to cut the deficit to nine points at 24-15. Marian answered with an 8-0 run over the final two minutes of the half to build a commanding 38-19 lead. Blount converted a three-point play with 40 seconds remaining to trim the halftime margin to 38-22, but the damage was done. McNally produced a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double by halftime.

Taylor shot 38.8 percent from the field for the game and 28.6 percent from three-point range (4-of-14), while Marian finished at 47.1 percent overall and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc (4-of-9).

Taylor returns to Odle Arena on Wednesday, with a 5:30 p.m. matchup against No. 6 Saint Francis (22-2, 12-2 CL).