TU Cruises to Victory with 62 from Penha and Hubbard
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Taylor got 39 second-half points from CJ Penha and Jason Hubbard, netting 62 total points after the break and turning a seven-point halftime lead over East-West into an easy, 107-78, win over the Phantoms at the Saint Francis Tournament.
The Trojans led throughout most of the opening stanza but could not pull away. A triple from Gavin Yoon put TU in front for good at the 11:03 mark and an 11-0 spurt from the 9:07 mark to the 6:33 point opened a 37-23 gap for the Purple and Gold. The 14-point margin was eroded by a late flurry from East-West however, and Taylor settled for a 45-38 lead at the break.
TU put the game away early into the second half, using an 8-0 burst to highlight a 12-2 start that opened up a 57-40 cushion. Hubbard fueled the rally with a three-point play and dunk that sandwiched a trey from Zach Baugher.
Hubbard and Penha went on to net 15 of TU’s first 18 points of the half and continued to do the heavy lifting throughout the half as the Taylor lead swelled as high as 37 before ending at 29 in the 107-78 final.
Hubbard and Penha combined for 39 points in the decisive second half, helping Taylor post 62 in the period while holding a 36-16 edge in paint scoring over the game’s final 20 minutes. The duo scored 62 points in the game and added 24 rebounds and 10 assists.
Penha closed the contest 14-of-18 from the field for 36 points and added 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block. Penha netted 24 second-half points and posted career-highs in field goals made, points and assists in his third double-double of the season.
Hubbard also notched his third double-double of the season with 26 points, 13 boards, four assists and two blocks. The effort was Hubbard’s second-straight showing of at least 20 points and his sixth of the year, while his 11 field goals marked a personal-best.
Vincent Miranda and Grant Niehaus also cracked double figures, as Miranda ended with 11 points and a career-best seven assists, with Niehaus scoring 10 points to match a career-high. Jeff Clayton also turned in a career-high with eight rebounds and added six points in the win.
Taylor was dominant on the glass, beating the Phantoms by a 60-28 margin in rebounding and scoring 23 second-chance points off 23 offensive rebounds. TU also shared the ball well, piling up 25 assists on 41 made buckets.
The Trojans posted single-game highs for the season in scoring, field goals made, assists and rebounds in the win.
TU will return to action at noon on Tuesday with a game against Edward Waters (3-1) at Saint Francis.
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