BOX SCORE
FACEBOOK PHOTO GALLERY
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology advanced to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a 62-47 win over Mount St. Joseph on Senior Day at Hulbert Arena.
Rose-Hulman completed the regular season at 13-12 overall and 9-9 in HCAC play to capture the No. 6 seed for this week's conference tournament. The Fightin' Engineers will face No. 3 seeded Franklin on Friday at 8 p.m. at top-seeded Transylvania University.
Senior Sheree Williams led the balanced scoring attack for Rose-Hulman wtih 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Junior Cassidy Cain added 11 points on 5-5 from the free throw line and 2-2 from three-point range, and sophomore Abbie Marshall came off the bench for 11 points and five rebounds.
The Fightin' Engineers earned the win on Senior Day, as three team members were honored after helping Rose-Hulman qualify for its fifth consecutive league tournament. Gracie Gibbs scored six points with five rebounds, while Emily Fuhs made her first college start with one point, one rebound and one steal in the victory.
Rose-Hulman shot 42% from the field but relied on a strong team defensive effort to hold Mount St. Joseph to just 25%. The Fightin' Engineers also outrebounded the Lions 50-32 to take control of the contest.
Brilyn Webb led the Mount St. Joseph offense with 15 points. The Lions completed the season with a 6-19 record and a 2-16 mark in conference games.
Other key contributors for Rose-Hulman included juniors Carrie Morris and Josie Schmidt with seven points each.
Both teams battled through a tightly contested first half, with Rose-Hulman leading 24-15 after two free throws by Gibbs at the 4:45 mark. Mount St. Joseph closed the first half on a 10-4 run to move within 28-25 at the half.
In the second half, Mount St. Joseph closed to within 32-31 on a three-pointer by Webb at the 16:35 mark. Rose-Hulman held the Lions to just three points over the next 10 minutes, building the lead to 50-34 on a layup by Williams at the 7:11 mark.
Mount St. Joseph brought the lead down to 10 points at 55-45, but Rose-Hulman closed the game on a 7-2 run for the final margin of victory.
Transylvania University will host the HCAC Tournament after finishing the regular season 24-1 and 18-0 in conference play, with wins over Rose-Hulman by just one and two points. Hanover received the second first-round bye. Franklin has the No. 3 seed, followed by Bluffton, Manchester and Rose-Hulman. The three-day event begins Friday and concludes Sunday March 1, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
HCAC TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS:
OPENING ROUND - FRIDAY FEB. 27 (at Transylvania University)
#5 Manchester vs. #4 Bluffton, 6 p.m.
#6 Rose-Hulman vs. #3 Franklin, 8 p.m.
SEMIFINALS - SATURDAY FEB. 28 (at Transylvania University)
Manchester/Bluffton winner at #1 Transylvania, 3 p.m.
Rose-Hulman/Franklin winner vs. #2 Hanover, 5 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - SUNDAY MARCH 1
Semifinal Winners, 2 p.m.
