Taylor Knocks off No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan, 66-61

UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor University women's basketball team outlasted No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan 66-61 in Saturday's cross-county rivalry game at Odle Arena. The Trojans, now winners of seven straight, overcame a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter to grind out their first victory over the Wildcats in 11 meetings.

With the victory, TU (7-0, 2-0 CL) improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2019. The Trojans also recorded their second home triumph against an opponent receiving votes in the national coaches' poll this season.

Kaycie Warfel led all scorers with a game-high 27 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to go with five steals, three boards and two blocks. With the Trojans leading 59-58, the freshman drilled a dagger three, her only 3-pointer of the game, to put the Trojans ahead by four with a minute remaining.

Celina Blount logged her fourth double-double effort with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The sophomore forward knocked down two of TU's four treys while adding three steals and two blocks. Madi Allen chipped in with 10 points and grabbed seven boards, reaching double figures in scoring for the sixth time.

TU started fast and sprinted to a 7-0 lead on Blount's early 3-pointer. The Trojans' first-quarter lead swelled to as much as 12 points when Kaycie Warfel's layup at the 2:34 mark put TU in front 15-3, before the Trojans closed out the opening period with a 19-7 advantage.

The Trojans limited the Wildcats to 3-of-14 shooting in the first quarter and five different players contributed to the balanced scoring effort on the home side.

TU started slowing in the second quarter as a pair of turnovers allowed IWU to get within single digits.

But Blount put the Trojans back in front by 11 with TU leading 24-13, as she reached double figures at the six-minute mark and had the only pair of 3-pointers for the Trojans until the fourth quarter.

With under four minutes until halftime, Emma Fohl's steal and dish to Emma Ancelet, followed by Kaycie Warfel's coast-to-coast layup put TU ahead 30-18. TU outscored IWU 12-0 on fastbreak points over the first half combined.

However, IWU (5-4, 1-1 CL) found its way back within four points just before halftime after a 12-4 run by the Wildcats trimmed the deficit to 34-30. Kaycie Warfel briefly reversed the momentum with a jumper at the buzzer to lift the Trojans ahead by a score of 36-30 at the intermission break.

After starting 0 for 9 from beyond the arc, IWU got hot from deep and drained 4 of 5 triples before halftime. Emily Mattingly knocked down a pair of treys during the spurt.

The streaky shooting continued as IWU hit two more treys early in the third, which sparked a 13-1 run for the visitors. With TU struggling from the field, the Wildcats claimed their first lead on a free throw at the 5:44 mark to move in front 38-37. IWU held a 48-44 lead heading to the final period as a pair of late buckets from Blount and Marissa Trout pulled TU back within striking distance.

Since TU led 30-18 in the second quarter, IWU reversed the trend and outscored TU 32-14 over a span of 13:34 of game time, which carried into the final quarter with the Wildcats leading 50-44.

An Allen jumper and Kaycie Warfel layup trimmed the deficit to two, with IWU leading 50-48 at the media timeout with 7:23 remaining.

Then, Kendall Sietsema and Trout came up with clutch plays as Sietsema drained TU's first three of the second half to cut a five-point deficit back to two. Trout followed with a layup at the 3:39 mark to level the score at 55-55.

After Warfel's dagger three, TU got a steal on the ensuing sideline out-of-bounds play, and the Trojans were able to seal the victory at the free-throw line.

TU shot at a 43 percent clip from the field overall and overcame its struggle from three-point range (4-16) by knocking down 8 of 10 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. The Trojans finished 18 of 26 (69.2%) from the charity stripe.

IWU finished shooting 35 percent overall and 8 of 12 (66.7%) at the line. The Trojans outpaced the Wildcats 18-5 in fastbreak points, while holding the slight edge in turnovers, 20-19.

Mattingly led three Wildcats in double digits with 16 points, nine boards, five assists and five steals. Kyle Bettinger hit four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points and Ayla Krygier tallied 11.

TU will return to action on Tuesday evening, when it welcomes non-league foe Ohio Christian to Upland. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. inside Odle Arena.