Trojans Unable to Contain Marian in 93-70 Defeat

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS – Taylor women's basketball came out strong Tuesday in its Crossroads League Quarterfinals matchup with second-seeded Marian, but a six-point halftime lead dissipated as the Knights exploded in the second half for 62 points to advance to the tournament semifinals.

It was back and forth to begin before the Trojans went on a 6-0 run after consecutive layups from Cassidy Wyse to grab a 26-20 edge. The lead was held up until the intermission and things looked promising for the Trojans with a 37-31 advantage despite being on the road against the No. 7 team in the nation. Taylor was the team that seemed to display much more energy, evidenced by the 25-12 rebounding advantage that was turned into 12 second chance points. Wyse and Jackie Osenbaugh each had big halves for the Trojan cause by scoring 10 points apiece, while Josie Cobb drained two timely three-pointers as well.

The Knights were off and running however from the start of the final 20 minutes of play, going on a 21-7 run to quickly turn the tide and take a 52-44 lead. The run began with the team's first converted three-point try of the contest by senior guard Kaylee Walters.

"We played a great first half of basketball," said head coach Kelly Packard. "Ten seconds into the half we gave up a three and the emotion in the gym began to shift. We struggled to handle their press which resulted in costly turnovers, and Marian was able to convert them to points."

The game was very similar to the contest between the two sides at Taylor on January 31, as Marian's full-court pressure in particular was a key factor in helping the Knights erase a halftime deficit. For the game, the Trojans committed 22 turnovers which resulted in 31 Marian points on the other end.

The 52-44 Marian lead was extended soon after by ten unanswered Marian points to make it 62-46. The Knight lead would continue to swell to its largest of the game at 89-62 following a three-pointer by Joana Soeiro with 2:46 remaining, all but derailing Taylor's hopes of moving on to the tournament's next round.

The Knights ranked No. 3 in the NAIA in field-goal percentage at a 47.3 percent clip entering the contest, and that percentage only increased in this one as Marian found a way to get into the paint for 56 of its 93 points. Marian finished the contest shooting 57.4 percent from the floor, knocking in a blistering 68.4 percent in the second half. Taylor dipped to 39.3 percent for the game after converting just 10-of-28 attempts over the final 20 minutes.

Marian was led by 22 points apiece from its backcourt tandem of Walters and Lakan Hasser-Smith, while Faith Reece played well on the inside to finish with 16 points and seven rebounds. Jessica Almeida was the fourth Knight to reach double-figure scoring with 10 points.

Taylor was led by Osenbaugh's seventh double-double effort of the season, as the junior forward totaled 19 points along with 14 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive end. Wyse concluded a stellar freshman season with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with five assists and four rebounds. Cobb, a member of the Crossroads League All-Freshmen Team, finished with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals. Megan Richardson contributed nine points, three rebounds and two steals and junior guard Emma Brattain chipped in with eight points and three rebounds.

The Trojans concluded 2014-2015 with a record of 16-15 overall and 9-9 in the Crossroads League regular season in Packard's second year at the helm of the program.

"It takes quite a bit of processing to settle upon a proper perspective after a five month long season," added Packard. "The program did see growth in 2014-2015 and we were able to accomplish a winning record."

The 16 wins were an improvement from Taylor's 12 victories in 2013-2014, while the 9-9 record in league play was good enough to position itself in a tie for fifth place in the standings. The Trojans earned the No. 7 seed in the league tournament, losing the tiebreaker to Goshen and Grace, respectively.

The 2014-2015 season included a 79-56 victory at home over No. 16 Huntington and saw three Trojans earn Crossroads League Player of the Week honors in Richardson, Osenbaugh and Wyse in three consecutive weeks. Wyse was recently named All-Crossroads League Honorable Mention and the Crossroads League Freshman of the Year while joining Cobb on the six-player Crossroads League All-Freshmen Team.

Seniors Erinn Behn, Sara Waid and Rayana Carneiro finish out their four year careers at TU with the defeat to Marian. Taylor however is set to return 75 percent of its roster for next season which includes Monica Compton, a Preseason Third-Team All-Crossroads League pick who received a medical redshirt this year. Each of Taylor's top five scorers will be back along with its top two rebounders statistically in Wyse and Osenbaugh and two consistent starters in the backcourt in Brattain and Cobb.