Austin Kight | Echo
Emotions ran high Wednesday as the women's basketball team (10-17) sought revenge against No. 10 Indiana Wesleyan (21-6), but found themselves unable to capitalize on a late game run, resulting in a 60-55 loss.
The Wildcats led the entire first half after guard Taylor Goshert drained a three-pointer within the first minute, putting early pressure on Taylor's defense.
"We knew what their offensive strategies and actions were and addressed those specifically, trying to minimize a high execution percentage for them," said head coach Kelly Packard. "Our main adjustment was to be assertive and dictate where we initiated our offense on the floor to be sure we caught the ball in scoring areas"
Heading into halftime, the Trojans were able to keep the damage to a minimum, trailing 29-19.
The game took a turn in the second half when senior Kelci Freds found the bottom of the net from outside the arc, tying the game at 38-38. Minutes later, a defensive foul by Indiana Wesleyan's Katrina Blackmon sent sophomore Monica Compton to the line, giving the Trojans their first lead of the game.
"We knew going in that Indiana Wesleyan is ranked first in holding their opponents to a low shooting percentage," Freds said. "Because of this, we were expecting a great defensive effort on their part, and needed to focus on taking high percentage shots. We got the ball inside for shots close to the hoop and waited for the outside shots to open up. We just came up a little short."
Unfortunately, the Trojans couldn't hold on to the lead for long, as the Wildcats piled on eight unanswered points, reclaiming a 53-43 lead with just over five minutes left to play.
With 39 seconds on the clock, Taylor's defense went into foul mode, and the defending national champions responded by hitting 5-of-6 free throws to secure the victory.
Seniors Becca Daniels, Kelsey Bryant and Freds led the offensive charge, dropping a combined 39 points, while Daniels and Bryant pulled down seven rebounds apiece.
"I was extremely proud of our effort, our toughness and our passion," Packard said. "We exhibited tremendous resiliency when the deficit was double digits and responded with a run that put us up by one point."
As the regular season starts to wind down and tournament play approaches, Packard said the team is taking it one game at a time, trying to keep players rested and continuing to execute game and personal strategies.
Up next, Taylor returns to Odle Arena tomorrow to take on the Goshen Maple Leafs with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
Photography Timothy P. Riethmiller
