RV Taylor Falls at No. 7 Saint Francis in CL Quarterfinals

Crossroads League Championships Central

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – No. 7 Saint Francis used a dominant second quarter to pull away from RV Taylor, defeating the Trojans 77-50 on Tuesday evening in a Crossroads League Tournament quarterfinal. The second-seeded Cougars (26-3) shot 48 percent from three-point range and received contributions from five double-figure scorers to hand seventh-seeded Taylor (17-12) its largest margin of defeat this season.

The Trojans came out with energy, racing to an 8-0 lead in the opening three minutes. Freshman duo Kaycie Warfel and Madi Allen connected on early threes, and three Saint Francis turnovers forced the Cougars into a timeout at the 6:41 mark. Taylor held the home team scoreless for nearly four minutes before Cali Gregory answered with a three.

The Cougars chipped away from there, tying the game at 10-10 on a Samiyah Stout layup before taking a brief lead on Isabella Gizzi free throws. Warfel responded with another three to give Taylor a 14-12 edge after one quarter, accounting for nine of the Trojans' 14 points. Celina Blount grabbed five rebounds in five first-quarter minutes off the bench.

The second quarter belonged entirely to Saint Francis. Back-to-back threes from Taylor Fordyce and Gregory gave the Cougars an 18-14 lead to open the period.

Quinn Kelly briefly pulled TU within one with a three, but that would be the Trojans' only field goal over a nearly nine-minute stretch. Saint Francis rattled off a 20-3 run to build a 32-17 lead with just over two minutes left in the half. Fordyce hit two threes during the surge, and Stout added six points on three layups, including a pair off steals. Emma Ancelet's three at the buzzer provided a small measure of relief, but TU still trailed 34-20 at intermission after being outscored 22-6 in the period while shooting 2 for 12 from the field.

TU showed more fight in the third quarter as Allen connected on an early three to trim the gap, and Warfel added a jumper and a three as the Trojans worked to stay within striking distance. Fohl's fastbreak pull-up jumper and a Blount basket in the final minute made it 52-36 heading to the fourth.

TU equaled its first-half field goal total (7) in the third quarter alone, but the Cougars answered each push with timely baskets to maintain a comfortable cushion.

Any remaining hope faded in the fourth. Gregory drilled consecutive threes in the opening minute, and Julia Mantyla added a three and a layup as Saint Francis pushed the margin to 65-38 on a 13-2 run spanning three minutes.

Warfel paced Taylor with 16 points, including three threes, with all her scoring coming in the first and third quarters. Allen and Kelly each added eight, and Blount finished with six points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 18 minutes. The Trojans surrendered 12 made threes to the Cougars, who entered as the league's top three-point shooting team in terms of shooting percentage (37.1%). It was the most threes allowed against a league opponent this season by the Trojans.

TU finished shooting 35.8 percent overall from the floor and nearly 30 percent (8-27) from beyond the arc. The Trojans recorded 12 assists from seven different players.

USF's Gregory led all scorers with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three. Stout contributed 12 points, four steals, and four assists off the bench, while Mantyla also scored 12. Fordyce finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals in 35 minutes. Saint Francis shot 45.9 percent from the floor, went 12-for-25 from deep, and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. The Cougars outrebounded Taylor 35-27 and generated 17 points off 15 Trojan turnovers.

The quarterfinal appearance was the second under head coach Cassie Wiseman in three seasons.

It also marked the first meeting between TU and USF in the CL quarterfinals since the 2020-2021 campaign, where the Trojans claimed a 22-point victory (73-51) in Upland. The two teams last met in Fort Wayne for a conference quarterfinals matchup in 2010-2011, with the Cougars winning that contest 71-64.

RV Taylor will now turn its attention to the NAIA Women's Basketball Selection Show, scheduled for Thursday, March 5, at 8 p.m. ET, to learn whether the Trojans will receive an at-large bid to the national tournament.