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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology battled No. 19 ranked Transylvania University to the wire, before falling 53-51 to the undefeated Pioneers in the women's basketball home opener on Saturday afternoon.
Transylvania led 45-40 on a three-pointer by Sarah Ashley with 5:41 left, but back-to-back baskets from freshman Alyzia Dilworth and sophomore Josie Schmidt brought the Engineers within 45-44 at the 4:16 mark. Two free throws by Kristen Belyea and a layup by Abbie Marshall knotted the score at 48-48 with 3:42 left as the Engineers looked to pull the upset.
Transylvania pushed the lead to 53-49 with 1:28 left after five free throws, but Belyea hit two more tosses from the charity stripe to bring Rose-Hulman within 53-51 at the 1:18 mark. Rose-Hulman had a chance to tie on the next possession, before Transylvania forced a turnover.
After Transylvania ran the clock down to 11 seconds remaining, a jump ball gave Rose-Hulman one final possession to tie the score. Senior Gracie Gibbs had a shot fall out at the buzzer as the Pioneers held on for the 53-51 win.
Marshall scored a career-high 16 points with seven rebounds to lead the Rose-Hulman offensive attack. Belyea added 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Dilworth came off the bench for a career-high 11 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Jordin Fender paced Transylvania with 16 points, and Nicole Coffman scored 13 for the Pioneers. Katelyn Smith also reached double figures with 11 points.
Transylvania held a 10-point lead in the first half, before Rose-Hulman rallied to close within 23-18 at the break. The Pioneers built a seven-point second half lead, but two baskets by Marshall and a score by Andi Evers knotted the score at 35-35 with 9:59 left and set the stage for a tight finish.
Transylvania improved to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in league play, while Rose-Hulman stands 4-3 overall and 0-1 in conference games. The Fightin' Engineers return to action at Manchester University next Saturday.
