RICHMOND, IND. – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rallied from a 17-point first half deficit with a strong defensive effort to top Earlham College 65-54 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night.
Rose-Hulman trailed 24-7 nine minutes into the game, before the Fightin' Engineers held Earlham to just one field goal over the last 11 minutes of the first half to close within 31-27 at the break. The rally continued, as Rose-Hulman claimed its first lead at 39-37 and never trailed again.
Senior Julian Strickland (Indianapolis/Pike) led Rose-Hulman with 17 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Jimmy Miller (Indianapolis/North Central) added 16 points on 6-11 from the field.
Other key contributors included senior Jake Dodd (St. Peters, Mo./Missouri-St. Louis) with eight points and four rebounds; junior Michael Hallstein (Hopedale, Ill./Olympia) with seven points and six rebounds; and senior Jordy Martin (New Albany) with six points.
Kirk Douglas led Earlham with 17 points, and Phillip Boone added 16 points for the Quakers. The win marked Rose-Hulman's fourth consecutive victory and their 13th in the last 14 games.
Jake Dodd buried two key three-pointers to spark the first half run, and Jimmy Miller scored the final six points of the first half to bring the Engineers within four points.
Rose-Hulman gained the lead at 39-37 on a conventional three-point play by Strickland with 12:28 remaining. The Engineers continued to pour on the offense, with Hallstein burying a three-pointer, Strickland scoring on a layup and Dodd scoring in the paint to make the score 46-37 at the 10:15 mark.
Earlham trimmed the margin to within four points at 46-42, but another Rose-Hulman spurt put the game away. The Fightin' Engineers outscored the Quakers 13-6 over the next five minutes, gaining a double-digit lead at 59-48 on a Strickland score with 3:13 left.
Rose-Hulman relied on a strong effort on the boards to secure the win. The Fightin' Engineers outrebounded Earlham 48-28 in the contest, including 20 offensive boards.
Rose-Hulman improved to 16-4 overall and 11-2 in HCAC play with the victory. The Fightin' Engineers also maintained sole possession of first place in the conference with the win. Rose-Hulman returns to action at in-state foe Manchester University on Saturday at 5 p.m.
