Jeff Yoder | Echo
The men's basketball team dominated their Silent Night contest as usual on Friday night, taking down Indiana Dabney University 94-72 in Odle Arena.
Following a half hour game delay, the Trojans got off to a slow start. With just under 16 minutes left in the first half, senior guard Ben Raichel got open for a three in the corner to break the silence.
Taylor and IDU went back and forth throughout the first stanza as Taylor went into halftime with a 42-38 advantage. Both seniors, Raichel and Josh Riikonen, led TU through a rough patch in the first half.
In the second, a flurry of threes from sophomore Jesse Coffey ignited Taylor to a large lead that would be extended throughout the final minutes. The fans began singing "Silent Night" in the final two minutes as usual.
Riikonen led Taylor with 19 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Kyle Stidom added 18 points and nine boards. Coffey and Raichel each connected on four threes for 15 and 12 points, respectively. Sophomore Jordan Richardson added eight points while junior Darayl Jordan tallied six points, three blocks and led the team in rebounds with 10.
In Saturday's game-game two of the Ivanhoe's Classic-the Trojans went into overtime with Rio Grande in a defensive battle. In the OT period, the game was tied at 61 apiece until Richardson found the net on a layup with 1.1 seconds remaining for a 63-61 victory.
Riikonen and Stidom were dominant in the paint throughout the contest, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively.
The Trojans improved to 7-4 on the season and 6-1 in at home this year, including five wins in a row in Odle. Taylor's next game will be at Marian University on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.
Photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller
