Bethel's Fourth-Quarter Rally Downs Trojans

Box Score

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Taylor women's basketball team held a 12-point lead after 30 minutes of action, but Bethel used a 26-13 fourth-quarter scoring advantage and a last-second layup to upend Taylor, 61-60, on Wednesday night.

The first half was tightly contested, as neither team could create more than four points of separation. The Trojans grabbed a four-point edge, 29-25, at the break when Kendall Bradbury hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. The sophomore was sensational in the first half, pouring in 21 of the Trojans' 29 first-half points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. TU shot a sizzling 57.8 percent (11-of-19) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

Josie Cobb opened the scoring for Taylor in the third quarter with a three-pointer to give the Trojans a seven-point advantage early in the second half, but Bethel cut the lead to 34-30 with 5:09 left in the period on back-to-back buckets. TU responded with a 13 to five scoring burst over the remainder of the quarter for a 47-35 lead over the hosts with one period left to play.

Bethel (5-16, 2-7 CL) began the final stanza with two triples by Tahya Bruce to slice TU's lead in half from 12 to six. BC chipped away at the Trojans' lead until another three-pointer from Bruce made it a 57-56 Taylor edge with 1:09 left to play. BreAnna Arnold knocked down a two-point jumper on the ensuing possession, giving the Trojans a three-point lead with 49 seconds remaining. Yet another trey by Bruce knotted the score at 59 with 21 seconds left in the game. Monica Compton's free throw made it 60-59 with five seconds on the clock, but Savannah Bley's layup at the buzzer sealed the 61-60 victory for the Pilots.

Bethel outscored TU 26-13 in the final quarter to turn a 12-point deficit into a one-point win. The Trojans shot the ball well, hitting 22-of-39 shots for a season-high 56.4 percent conversion rate from the field, while also knocking down six out of 10 shots from downtown (60 percent). TU could not overcome its season-high 24 turnovers, however.

Bradbury recorded her eighth double-double of the season, ending with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Compton added 12 points on five-of-nine shooting for the Trojans.

Taylor (9-12, 4-5 CL) will travel to Grace (11-10, 6-3 CL) on Saturday, tipping off in Winona Lake, Indiana at 1:00 pm.