First-Round Loss Sends Trojans Home
March 11, 2009
The Taylor women's basketball team suffered a 68-51 defeat to Concordia (Neb.) University Wednesday during first round action at the 2009 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa.
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead to start the game, the sixth-seeded Trojans went up 29-25 at halftime, but were unable to hang on as the third-seeded Bulldogs overwhelmed Taylor with a 43-22 advantage in the final 20 minutes of action.
Taylor's ability to rebound the basketball helped the Trojans to the halftime lead, as they grabbed 26 rebounds compared to just 15 for the Bulldogs in the first half. Against a Concordia team that shot 35.8 percent from three-point range all season, Taylor limited the Bulldogs to just 15.8 percent (3-for-19) in the opening frame.
Concordia used its own 10-0 run to start the second half to take the lead and held the Trojans to just 10 points in the first 17 minutes of the second half.
In the second half, Taylor shot just 37.5 percent (9-for-24) from the field, while Concordia took 17 more second-half shots than the Trojans and shot 41.5 percent for the half (17-for-41).
On a day where not much seemed to go right for Taylor, the final free throw stats revealed a season low performance of 56.3 percent (9-for-16) from the line.
In her final game for Taylor, senior Paige Rudolph led Taylor with 15 points. Fellow senior Nikki Kassebaum finished her career with 5 points and 4 rebounds.
Coaching the pair of seniors for the final time, Taylor head coach Tena Krause reflected on the pair's impact on the program. "Those two are incredible, Godly women. They do an awesome job of leading this team," said Krause. "They've taught the underclassmen in a lot of ways - to persevere, how to compete, and they've demanded excellence from their teammates."
Concordia finished the game with a 43-42 advantage in the rebounding column. Tasha Marshall matched a season-high 7 rebounds to lead Taylor under the glass. Bethany Ballard added 12 points for Taylor.
Taylor (21-12) ended their season with 29 turnovers, compared to just 11 turnovers for Concordia.
"Today was a disappointment in how we handled the ball," said Head Coach Tena Krause. "It was going to be difficult to win turning the ball over that many times."
With just two seniors on this year's team, Krause talked about the future of her young squad.
"Nine of the eleven players on our roster today will be back next season and hopefully this will leave a taste in their mouths that makes them hungry to fight and get back here next year."
Concordia was led offensively by Whitney Stichka, Melissa Tinkham, and TaLisa Krejci, each with 13 points.