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DEFIANCE, Ohio -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology looks for its fourth Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament championship in the last five years when the Fightin' Engineers face Mount St. Joseph in the league title game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Rose-Hulman advanced to the HCAC Tournament championship game with wins of 82-80 over Manchester and 60-47 over Defiance on Friday and Saturday. The Fightin' Engineers were seeded No. 4 in the tournament and bring a 17-10 record into the championship game after knocking out the top seeded host Defiance on Saturday.
Mount St. Joseph brings a 17-9 record into the conference championship game. The second seeded Lions received a first round bye after earning a share of the HCAC regular season title. Mount St. Joseph advanced to Sunday's title game by defeating Transylvania University 71-65 on Saturday.
The Fightin' Engineers have won 10 of their last 12 games entering the HCAC championship game, including a dramatic buzzer beating shot by freshman Luke Callahan to win the conference tournament opener over Manchester.
Rose-Hulman features a balanced scoring attack that includes four players averaging double figures in scoring. Seniors Matt Loesing and Dillon Reynolds lead the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game.
The Fightin' Engineer lineup also includes senior Tyler Duffy (10.2 ppg), senior Jimmy Miller (9.9 ppg) and sophomore Stephen Schueth (6.1 ppg).
Off the bench, Rose-Hulman has seen significant contributions from Charlie Aimone (9.2 ppg), Luke Callahan (6.7 ppg), Collin Wojcik (4.9 ppg), Wade Stallings (3.3 ppg) and Mitch Williams (2.6 ppg).
Mount St. Joseph stands 17-9 on the season and has five players averaging double figures in scoring. Joel Scudder leads the team at 15.1 points per game. Erik Edwards adds 12.0 points per game, with the balanced attack including Femi Thompson (11.9), Andrew Finley (11.3) and Travis Combs (10.5).
Mount St. Joseph won both meetings over Rose-Hulman this winter. Rose-Hulman's most recent win in the series came in the finale of the 2014-15 regular season.
The winner of Sunday's game receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Rose-Hulman is 14-12 all-time in postseason tournament play and won the 1996, 2012, 2013 and 2014 conference tournament championships. The team seeks its 12th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
HCAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:
FRIDAY FEB. 26 - OPENING ROUND AT DEFIANCE
#4 Rose-Hulman 82, #5 Manchester 80
#6 Transylvania 77, #3 Hanover 67
SATURDAY FEB. 27 - SEMIFINALS AT DEFIANCE
#4 Rose-Hulman 60, #1 Defiance 47
#2 Mount St. Joseph 71, #6 Transylvania 65
SUNDAY FEB. 28 - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT DEFIANCE
#4 Rose-Hulman (17-10) vs. #2 Mount St. Joseph (17-9), 2 p.m.
