2006-2007 Season Review

It has long been said that strong leadership can take a team a long way and the 2006-07 Lady Trojans were living proof of this statement, as four seniors led a team that became much stronger than the sum of its parts to an appearance in the Elite Eight at the NAIA National Tournament. The 23-12 squad placed fourth in the MCC conference race with a 10-6 record, but earned an at-large bid to the NAIA tournament on the strength of their schedule.

The season began with a roster that was well-balanced with four seniors, five juniors, two sophomores, and three freshmen.

Another aspect of the Lady Trojans that brightened Coach Tena Krause's eye was the defensive toughness the team developed, "We worked on an overall understanding of what it took to play great defense. This group seemed to understand the impact it can have on our offense and our overall game".

The team used Romans 15:5 as a focal point of the season, "Unity in Christ."  Coach Krause explains that her seniors took the lead on this theme, "Our seniors wanted to emphasize to our team that we must be united in Christ on and off the court to be successful. It also ties into the idea of being ‘15 Strong', which refers to the necessity for the entire team to work together."

A three-game winning streak opened the season as TU downed St. Mary of the Woods, Spalding, and Indiana Tech. A tough road loss to eventual Final Four Cedarville by the narrow margin of 82-77 would prove in retrospect to be a harbinger of what was to come Taylor's way.

In a final tune-up before their conference schedule began, the Lady Trojans easily dispatched of Purdue-Calumet, 97-48.

Their MCC opener at Bethel did not go the way the Lady Trojans had planned, as the Pilots took a 91-76 victory. TU split games with Concordia (MI) and Davenport before heading back into conference play.

Another three-game winning streak put the Lady Trojans back on track with an 8-3 record as well as getting back in the thick of the MCC race when they rang up victories over Grace, Marian, and Huntington.

Krause's squad faced some very tough NAIA Div. I talent at the Olivet Nazarene tournament in early December, losing to ONU and St. Xavier.

Over Christmas break the Lady Trojans put together a four-game winning streak by topping Madonna, Trinity International, Trinity Christian, and Illinois-Springfield.

January found TU returning to their MCC schedule with third-ranked St. Francis first on the list. The Cougars held their home court advantage with a 71-64 victory. Taylor responded with another three game hot streak as they claimed victories over non-conference Judson, Goshen, and Spring Arbor.

In mid-January the Lady Trojans had their first crack at top-ranked rival Indiana Wesleyan, however, the Wildcats proved worthy of the ranking with a 73-57 win. TU had to follow up this loss with a trip to fourth-ranked Bethel. The Pilots again withstood the Lady Trojan effort, but TU came close in a 72-68 loss.

TU stepped up their efforts and took victories from Grace, Marian, and Huntington. The 67-52 victory over the Foresters was pivotal as it kept the Lady Trojans in firm control of the fourth spot in the MCC standings. The win also spurred TU into the Top 25 in the NAIA poll for the first time this season.

The Lady Trojans put up a tough battle against USF, but the Cougars held on for the victory. TU pulled off consecutive wins against Goshen and Spring Arbor before facing IWU for the final regular season game.

TU built a first half lead and held on to it in the second period until Indiana Wesleyan began to put full court pressure on the Lady Trojans to take the lead.

Down by one, a Taylor turnover with less than 45 seconds left in the game cost them a valuable opportunity to take the lead.  The Lady Trojans fouled twice in hopes of getting another chance to score, but Indiana Wesleyan was able to make their free throw shots and seal the 56-51 win.

In round one of the MCC tournament, Katie Madden lit up the scoreboard for 27 points as TU used a strong second half in defeating Huntington, 83-68.

The victory set up one last battle with Indiana Wesleyan. The Lady Trojans again held the lead at halftime, but once again IWU was able to take the lead late in the game for a 46-41 win. It was the lowest offensive output by IWU all season.

Following their loss to IWU, the Lady Trojans found themselves in a waiting game as other conference tournaments around the country would hold the answer to whether or not TU would be picked for an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament.

Finally, the Lady Trojans got their answer and received their ticket to the National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. Their first game would be against Dakota State, a team with an average height of 6'2", but that would not deter Krause's team.

The 22nd ranked Trojans came out a bit tight going down 0-4 after failing to score in their first six positions. Sophomore guard Paige Rudolph got TU on the board with a lay-up at the 17:00 mark, igniting an 8-0 Taylor run. From that point on TU took control of the contest, exploiting Dakota State's weaknesses and playing solid team defense.

After a couple Dakota State baskets, the Taylor offense clicked again, this time running off 14 straight points with its strong bench play. The Trojan bench actually outscored the team's starters 20-19 in the first half, leading to a 39-25 advantage at the break.

The Lady Trojan 2-3 zone caused problems for the Lady T's, holding DSU to just 29-percent from the floor in the first half. As a team, TU shot a blistering 59-percent from the floor, including 43-percent from beyond the arc.

In the round of sixteen, Taylor defeated the Iowa Wesleyan by a final of 67-61 in a thrilling game. TU started out slow against the Tigers, who upset Menlo to advance to the round of 16. The Trojans missed their first eight shots until Rudolph got the team on the board with a 15-foot jumper at the 16:00 mark. Then, trailing 7-6, the Trojans exploded with a 16-0 run to go ahead 22-7.

 Jenny Dawes led the club with 18 points, and Paige Rudolph added 12.

The win earned TU a history-making date with four-seeded Cedarville in the Elite Eight, the furthest the Lady Trojans have ever gone at the National Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets got on top early, but Taylor went on a 12-0 run to take a 32-21 lead with 2:57 remaining in the first stanza. The Lady Trojans maintained the nine-point margin to lead 36-27 at halftime.

Taylor opened the second half by trading baskets with the Jackets for the first three minutes. With the score 41-33 in favor of the Lady Trojans, Cedarville erupted with a 15-0 run giving them a 41-48 lead with 11:48 to play.

The Lady Trojans responded with a 10-0 run of their own sparked by senior Amanda Bond's three-point shot with 10:37 left in the game. This helped Taylor build a 51-48 advantage by the 8:46 mark. But from that point on, the game would belong to Cedarville.

The Lady Jackets used a 7:30 scoreless drought by Taylor to go on yet another run, this time running off 12 consecutive points. Taylor found themselves behind 51-60 with only 1:30 remaining. NAIA Player of the Year Brittany Smart connected on all eight of her free throws down the stretch allowing Cedarville to hold on with a 55-64 victory.

Though the season had ended, the team realized many of its goals and attained what many thought would be impossible in advancing to the Elite Eight.

Junior Katie Madden was named to the MCC First Team, while Amber Bond was honored as a member of the Second Team. Madden went on to be awarded NAIA Third Team All-American honors.

Seniors Jenny Dawes and Allison Easterhaus along with juniors Rebekah Deal, Kristen Ludwig, and Rhiannon Edwardsen were accorded NAIA Scholar-Athlete status.

Seniors Amber and Amanda Bond, Allison Easterhaus, and Jenny Dawes saw their careers come to a close after a remarkable year.

"Our seniors are great Christian women," Krause said. "They are amazing in faith and ability and play basketball for the glory of God and find strength in Him. They are all great leaders that contain a lot of heart and desire, and that is why we made it this far. They brought unity to our team and it is evident in how we play."