Four Starters Score in Double Figures in Victory Over Pilots

UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor's starting five dominated their minutes together and paved the way for a 75-59 victory over Bethel (8-10, 2-7 CL) Saturday afternoon.

The win marked TU's first within the Crossroads League, and it puts the squad back in the thick of contention for a spot in the league tournament as the CL schedule is halfway through.

The Trojans wasted no time putting their stamp on Saturday's contest, with all five starters getting in the scoring column as they raced out to 20-4 edge less than six minutes in. Within that opening stretch, Taylor connected on four three-pointers without a miss – one each from Ava Henson, Emma Fohl, Whitney Warfel and Kendall Wayne.

Taylor ended the first quarter leading 24-10 as it racked up 11 points off turnovers, nine fastbreak points and eight assists in the frame.

Warfel and Quinn Kelly each had four points in the second stanza, though the offense slowed considerably as Bethel made its living at the charity stripe to cut into the deficit, 35-28 at the half.

Fohl splashed home a pair of treys in the first two minutes of the second half, and Warfel heated up in another blazing start for the starters.

TU led 48-37 with 6:50 to play in the third quarter, but the hot start cooled as Bethel chipped away to make it 53-43 heading into the fourth period.

The Trojans took care of business on both ends of the court in a 22-point fourth quarter, where much of the damage offensively was done at the free-throw line. Led by Henson's 6-for-6 and Kelly's 4-for-4 performance on free throws in the quarter, Taylor made all 12 of its attempts at the charity stripe in the closing 10 minutes to seal the win.

Henson put together an efficient, well-rounded performance of 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and a season-high four steals. The guard needed only 10 shots to lead all scorers in the game, and she closed going 3-of-4 from distance.

Frontcourt members Kelly and Warfel each poured in 14 points, with Kelly grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.

Fohl made a career-high four threes on five attempts to help the freshman match her career high of 12 points, while Wayne had five points and a game-high five assists as the senior refuses to let go of her 50.0 percent clip from three-point range, going 1-for-2 on the day.

As a team, the Trojans notched their season-best percentage from beyond the arc, making 10-of-19 attempts (52.6 percent).

Taylor (6-13, 1-8 CL) next plays Saturday, Jan. 25, at home to take on No. 10 Saint Francis (17-2, 7-2). Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.