Connor Rowland | The Echo
The Taylor men's basketball 2015-16 campaign came to an abrupt halt at the hands of conference rival No. 13 Bethel in the opening round of the Crossroads League Tournament. The Trojans fell to the Pilots by a final score of 107-97.
Taylor surged ahead in the early going of the contest, draining seven of their nine shots from behind the arc. A 27-12 run created a comfortable cushion that pushed Taylor ahead of the hometown Pilots 34-22. However, Bethel responded with an offensive onslaught of their own, pouring in 13 unanswered points to close the half, and sent the reeling Trojans back to the locker room, with the score 43-38 at intermission.
"We shot well, really well. We were up a good amount, but right before halftime, they cut it down," sophomore Keaton Hendricks said. "They like to get the ball up fast, and they run a fast-pace offense. They went on too many runs, and the one to close the first half killed us."
The Trojans fought back behind a career night from senior Shakir Dunning, who netted his first three shots of the second half to tie the game at 46 apiece.
Ultimately, the Pilots were too much for the underdog Trojans. The home team plunged yet another dagger in the Trojans' hopes of an upset on the road with a 25-11 run with 9:29 left to play in regulation.
"They are one of the better scoring teams in the country and were able to get the game at their pace and advantage," head coach Josh Andrews said.
Bethel dominated in rebounding and free throws throughout the contest. The Pilots scored 41 percent of their 107 points from the free-throw line. Additionally, the Pilots commanded the boards consistently throughout the night at 40-28.
Bethel's superior rebounding translated into a plethora of second-chance points, limiting Taylor to two second-chance points compared to 12 points for the Pilots.
"Their team led the country in rebound margin, and we knew this was a crucial category," Andrews said.
Dunning set a career-high in points with 21 along with five assists and four boards. Sharpshooters freshman Evan Crowe, junior Lane Vander Hulst and Hendricks combined for 44 points with an impressive 52 percent shooting percentage from behind the arc.
To close a historic career, senior Kyle Stidom netted 19 points to go with four assists. Stidom finalized his place in the record books moving to 15th on Taylor University's all-time scoring list with 1,553 total points.
The three-time All-Crossroads League award recipient averaged 17.1 points per game through three years, set a Taylor record for most free throws made in a career and shot an impressive 51.5 percent from the field.
"I'm just honored to have worn a Taylor uniform and compete at a high level every night with my brothers," Stidom said. "To be mentioned with some of the greats that wore the uniform for this storied tradition is a humbling thought, but I'm extremely blessed and honored, man."
The future looks bright for the purple and gold. The Trojans secured sixth place out of 10 teams in the Crossroads League while playing in the statistically toughest conference in the NAIA according to Hendricks.
There are some really good players that come through here, it's tough night-to-night," Hendricks said. "You're playing against some of the toughest competition for our league."
Taylor took down two ranked teams during their 2015-16 campaign in Odle Arena. The Trojans hit stride towards the end of the season in a very demanding league, winning 5 of their last 8 regular season games.
The team showed tremendous growth and maturity behind solid senior leadership. The returning group of athletes is hungry for more after a tough loss in the conference tournament. Coach Andrews expects a committed and passionate group for next year.
"We play against the best teams in the country all season long and strive to perform with excellence," Andrews said. "Our guys are passionate about the climb to be considered among the ranked teams from the Crossroads League."
"photograph by Fayth Glock"
