IN GAME COVERAGE: Live stats | Video
GAME NOTES
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE | PROGRAM
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology women's basketball team opens Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament play on Friday, Feb. 27, when the Fightin' Engineers take on Franklin College. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
The tournament will be held at Transylvania University for the third consecutive season. Rose-Hulman earned the No. 6 seed for the fifth straight season and will face the Grizzlies in the opening round – identical to the 2013-14 HCAC Tournament in which Franklin claimed a 55-49 victory.
The Engineers finished the regular season with a 13-12 record and an even 9-9 mark in HCAC play. Franklin earned the conference's No. 3 seed with a 12-6 mark in HCAC play. The Grizzlies finished the regular season at 14-10.
Franklin won both matchups with Rose-Hulman during the 2014-15 season by a combined eight points. The Engineers dropped a 56-53 decision at Hulbert Arena on Jan. 14 and lost 41-36 in the Spurlock Center on Feb. 18.
Rose-Hulman led the conference in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 51.4 points per game. The Engineers also led the HCAC in field goal percentage defense as opponents shoot just 33.5 percent from the field. Individually, senior Gracie Gibbs leads the team offensively averaging 8.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Sophomore Abbie Marshall is second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.0 points per contest. Sophomore Jamie Loving is second in rebounds, grabbing 5.5 boards per game. Lauren DeSutter is the lone Grizzly averaging in double figures at 10.0 points per game.
The winner of Friday's game between Rose-Hulman and Franklin will advance to the HCAC Tournament semifinal game against No. 2 seeded Hanover. Both teams split with Hanover during the regular season. The title game is set for Sunday at 2 p.m., and the opposite side of the bracket includes top-seeded Transylvania, Bluffton, and Manchester.
HCAC TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS:
OPENING ROUND - FRIDAY FEB. 27 (at Transylvania University)
#5 Manchester (13-12) vs. #4 Bluffton (17-8), 6 p.m.
#6 Rose-Hulman (13-12) vs. #3 Franklin (14-10), 8 p.m.
SEMIFINALS - SATURDAY FEB. 28 (at Transylvania University)
Manchester/Bluffton winner at #1 Transylvania (24-1), 3 p.m.
Rose-Hulman/Franklin winner vs. #2 Hanover (17-8), 5 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - SUNDAY MARCH 1 (at Transylvania University)
Semifinal Winners, 2 p.m.
