Heartbreak on the hardwood

Chris Yingling | Echo

Spirits sunk in Odle Arena on Tuesday as the Taylor men's basketball team took a devastating loss to the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars, 56-54.

The Trojans held the lead the entire first half with an efficient offense all-around. Taylor shot 15-of-23 in the first half, leading to a 38-29 lead before heading to halftime.

However, it was a tale of two halves as Taylor's pace stuttered in the second frame. After notching 15 buckets in the first half, the Trojans could only make three in the second half along with a few free throws.

The sputtering offense allowed Mount Vernon Nazarene to mount a slow comeback, tying the game 50-50 with four minutes to go. Senior center Ian Dutcher brought the Trojans back with four points, but the Cougars quickly tied it up 54-54.

In the closing seconds of the game, MVNU's Jordi Mas grabbed an offensive rebound and put the ball back up with zeros on the scoreboard. The ball rattled in, granting the Cougars a 56-54 victory.

"When it left his hand, it almost felt like the ball was in the air forever," said junior guard Kyle Stidom. "When it goes in, your heart just sinks. You watch it, and there's nothing you can do about it. We hate to lose that way."

Stidom led all players with 16 points while also registering three assists. Dutcher contributed 11 points along with seven rebounds while senior Jesse Coffey scored eight.

While Mount Vernon Nazarene and Taylor posted similar stats in shooting percentage, the Cougars outrebounded the Trojans 38-29. MVNU also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds compared to Taylor's seven. The Cougars also registered three more blocks than Taylor along with four more steals.

"We just couldn't make the big play down the stretch to seal the deal," said head coach Josh Andrews. "We had a really efficient offensive first half. I would say fatigue hurt us and it challenged us in the second half. We gotta learn that 'tired can't defeat you.'"

Photograph by Josh Adams