ALMA, MICH. -- Junior Kelsy Taylor (Louisville, Ind./New Albany) scored a career-high 20 points as the Trine University women's basketball team defeated Alma (Mich.) College, 64-41, in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action on the road in Alma, Mich.
Taylor shot nine-of-12 (75.0 percent) from the floor and was one of two Thunder players in double figures in scoring. Sophomore Sam Underhill (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) was the other Trine player in double digits with 11 points and also had a game-high seven rebounds.
Alma (4-5, 1-3 MIAA) had a four-point lead early when a layup by Trine junior Rachel Stewart (Pekin, Ind./Eastern) sparked an 8-0 scoring run to give Trine (8-1, 2-0 MIAA) the lead and never trailed in the game again. A jumper by senior Sophia Kreag (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) at the 1:36 mark of the first quarter gave Trine its largest lead of the period of six points, 15-9 en route to a five-point edge after the first 10 minutes, 16-11.
The second quarter began with six quick Trine points that increased the margin to 11 points, 22-11, following a jumper by Taylor with 8:07 to go in the half. Alma mounted a rally with an 11-2 run and narrowed the gap to two points, 24-22, at the 5:08 mark. Trine then answered the run with a run of its own as a layup by junior Kayla Wildman (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) began a streak of 11 straight points to end the half and resulted in a 35-22 advantage for the road team.
Trine began the second half by outscoring Alma, 8-3, to increase the margin to 18 points after a layup by Taylor at the 6:19 mark of the third quarter. Trine later matched its 18-point advantage with a little under two minutes to go thanks to a three-pointer by junior Kaylee Argyle (Freeland, Mich./Freeland) that made the score 50-32. The Scots got the final point of the quarter on one-of-two free-throws, but still trailed Trine, 50-33, heading into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Trine posted its largest lead of the game of 27 points thanks to a 12-2 run to start the frame that ended in a jumper by sophomore Alyssa Argyle (Freeland, Mich./Freeland) with 4:13 remaining. After a basket by Alma, Trine equaled its large lead on a layup by Underhill which turned out to be the final points for the Thunder, but went on to capture the win by a final of 64-41.
Trine will host Olivet (Mich.) College on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the MTI Center in a MIAA matchup. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.