'On This Day' Taylor Remains Hot for Men’s Basketball Team

'On This Day' is a Wells College Athletics feature series taking a look back on events that occurred on this day, Dec. 18, eight years ago in 2012.

AURORA, N.Y. – The Wells men's basketball team's E.J. Taylor notched his fourth 20-plus point performance of the 2012-13 season for the Express in a non-conference game against the Yellow Jackets of Waynesburg University, Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 18, 2012, at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing.

Coming off a career-high 22-point game in a conference win against Cazenovia College on Dec. 6, Taylor led all Express scorers by matching his high with another 22-point performance. The Yellow Jackets put up an impressive second half by shooting 53 percent from the floor to Wells' 39, and it was the first time this season that a Taylor-led 20-plus point performance couldn't carry the team to victory.

With the last Express game and win coming almost two weeks prior, the long layoff may have factored in after Wells held a lead at the break before falling 79-69.

The Express posted their largest lead of the first half following a Jordan Bishop layup, earning a six-point advantage with 6:42 remaining as the score stood at 26-20. The Yellow Jackets battled back to tie the score at 33 apiece with 2:06 remaining in the first stanza. A Taylor layup with 1:19 remaining in the half brought the score to 35-33 where it would stand entering the second half.

The tides turned early in the second half, despite Jonathan Hurtado opening the half with a layup in the paint only six seconds in. With the score deadlocked at 51 aside near the midpoint of the half, the Yellow Jackets scored the game's next dozen points to secure a 12-point lead with 6:36 remaining in the half.

From that point, Waynesburg was able to keep the Express at arm's length. Wells would chip the lead down to nine points following two successful free throws by Tyler Walker, but that would be as close as the Express would come.

Taylor sank four three-pointers to tie a season-high mark. Hurtado also reached the double-digit mark with 15 points while Salvatore Fabozzi racked up a career-high 11 points, shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

Boxscore: https://www.wells-express.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/boxscores/20121218_3n6l.xml?view=boxscore