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TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology women's basketball team will square off with Franklin College in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinal round on Friday at 8 p.m. at Bluffton University.
Rose-Hulman earned a first round bye in the HCAC Tournament after finishing 22-3 to earn a share of its first conference championship in program history. The Fightin' Engineers have set a school record with 22 wins and enter the league tournament on a school record 17-game winning streak.
Franklin advanced to the HCAC Tournament semifinal round after defeating Defiance College 51-42 on Tuesday night.
Rose-Hulman will appear in the semifinal round of the HCAC Tournament for the fourth time in school history on Friday night. The Fightin' Engineers seek their first appearance in both the HCAC Tournament championship round and the NCAA Division III Tournament this weekend.
The balanced Rose-Hulman scoring attack features eight players averaging between 5.5 and 8.0 points per game. The starting frontcourt has featured Ally Bromenschenkel (8.0 ppg, 56% from the field), Josie Schmidt (7.6 ppg) and Abbie Marshall (5.5 ppg). The starting backcourt has included seniors Cassidy Cain (5.6 ppg) and Andi Evers (3.5 ppg).
Other leading scorers for the Fightin' Engineers have included Kristen Belyea (6.3 ppg), Brianna Gliesmann (7.1 ppg) who is first in the HCAC in three-point percentage (51%), Chiarra Franklin (5.4 ppg) and Alyzia Dilworth (6.2 ppg). A total of 13 players have seen action in 12 or more contests.
Rose-Hulman has achieved a 22-3 start to the season due in large part to its defense. The Fightin' Engineers are leading the conference in allowing just 50.5 points per game and holding their opponents to 32% from the field and 25% from three-point range. Rose-Hulman also outrebounds its opponents by +9.3 rebounds per game.
If the Fightin' Engineers win Friday night then they will play the winner between Bluffton and Transylvania on Saturday at 5 p.m. for the HCAC Championship.
HCAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:
TUESDAY FEB. 23 - OPENING ROUND
Transylvania 87, Mount St. Joseph 74
Franklin 51, Defiance 42
FRIDAY FEB. 26 - SEMIFINALS AT BLUFFTON
#4 Transylvania (19-7) at #1 Bluffton (23-2), 6 p.m.
#3 Franklin (19-7) vs. #2 Rose-Hulman (22-3), 8 p.m.
SATURDAY FEB. 27 - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT BLUFFTON
Semifinal Winners, 5 p.m.
