Trojans Rout RV Olivet Nazarene, 111-90; Warfel Nets 38, Blount Nearly Records Triple Double

UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor women's basketball showcased a balanced all-around team effort Wednesday evening at Odle Arena, routing RV Olivet Nazarene 111-90 behind another top performance from reigning Crossroads League Player of the Week Kaycie Warfel and a near triple-double from Celina Blount.

The Trojans are off to their third consecutive 3-0 start while improving to 10-1 in home non-conference games under head coach Cassie Wiseman. The 111 points scored is the highest total recorded during the Wiseman era.

Warfel followed her 37-point outburst on Saturday with 38 points Wednesday, becoming the first player in TU women's basketball all-time history to score at least 37 points in back-to-back games. The freshman guard connected on 12 of 23 shots including 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range and 9 of 11 at the free-throw line. She added three assists and five steals while leading TU against the nation's leading scoring offense from last season.

Blount delivered a masterpiece in the paint with 14 points, 16 rebounds, eight blocks and one steal. The sophomore matched the program single-game record for blocks for the second time in three games.

Madi Allen logged her first career double-double with 19 points and 12 boards, while Emma Fohl added 13 points and six assists. Emma Ancelet was a key contributor off the bench, knocking down huge shots early and finishing 4 of 6 from deep. Quinn Kelly grabbed nine boards as the Trojans outrebounded the Tigers 57-39 on the glass.

Olivet Nazarene, receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll, got 21 points from Lindsey Nell and 17 points from Jayden Flagg, who connected on 5-of-10 from three-point range. Caroline Sikkink added 16 points off the bench for the Tigers, who dropped to 2-1.

ONU jumped ahead 9-3 early, but Blount drilled a 3-pointer to give TU its first lead at 12-9, and the Trojans were off and running in the first quarter. Allen's layup at the four-minute mark capped an impressive 13-0 run as TU took a 27-15 cushion. Four different Trojans knocked down a trey in the opening 10 minutes of action, with the lead swelling to as much as 14 points at 27-13 after Ancelet's first triple.

The Trojans maintained their momentum in the second period with converting turnovers into transition opportunities. Another Ancelet three extended the TU advantage to 19 points with under six minutes until halftime. The Trojans would run out to a 55-38 lead at the break, after shooting 8 of 13 (61.5%) from three-point range while limiting the Tigers to 11.8 percent (2 of 17) from beyond the arc.

In the third quarter, Blount's paint presence lifted the Trojans when she repeatedly denied the Tigers around the hoop to the tune of five blocks. ONU got within 12 points with an early 3-pointer in the third, trimming the TU advantage to 59-47, but the Trojans countered with another strong 10-0 spurt, with five points from Blount, to regain control.

Carrying an 84-66 advantage into the final period, the Trojan lead swelled to as much as 27 when Whitney Warfel's jumper with 5:44 remaining eclipsed the 100-point mark, giving the Trojans a 101-74 advantage.

TU shot 54 percent from the field compared to 36 percent for ONU and connected on 67 percent of its three-point attempts. The Trojans outscored the Tigers 52-38 on points in the paint and 36-6 on fastbreak points.

With the victory, TU leveled the all-time series with ONU at 3-3 and remains unbeaten at Odle Arena when hosting the Tigers.

The Trojans will begin a three-game road stretch away from Odle Arena with Saturday's 1 p.m. contest at IU-Columbus (1-3).