By: Landry Long | Contributor
The Taylor men's basketball team fell short Saturday at Rio Grande in their third game of the season with a final score of 79-86.
After the Red Storm controlled the first half, the Trojans made a strong push to start the second half. Taylor outscoring the Rio Grande 29-19 in the first 11 minutes and took the lead 67-59. Rio Grande had a surge of their own, scoring the next seven points, taking the lead for good with just under five minutes remaining in the game. After the final buzzer, the Red Storm emerged victorious 79-86.Although the final outcome wasn't what head coach Josh Andrews hoped for, he's confident in his team's potential and knows what it takes to improve down the road.
"We played hard and unselfishly," Andrews said. "Our group needs more game experience and must sharpen our execution down the stretch. We must take our growth as a team one day at a time and improve each time we're together. We have some skill and talent and great energy about the group."
A major highlight of Saturday's game occurred when senior guard Kyle Stidom joined the Taylor 1,000-point club. Stidom finished with a game-high 23 points and snatched a team-high of six rebounds. His performance allowed him to surpass 1,100 total points in his collegiate career. Stidom believes the loss can help serve the Trojans well in the season to come.
"I'm just trying to go out there each and every game and do what Coach asks of me," said Stidom. "Coach puts me in spots where I can be successful and it is my job to take advantage of those. It's also my job to put my teammates in positions where they can be successful as well."The Trojans play this Saturday at home against Miami University-Hamilton. Tip-off is at 3 p.m.
Photograph provided by TU Sports Information Department
