TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology outscored Defiance College 19-7 in the fourth quarter to pull away and earn a 55-42 victory in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball action on Saturday at Hulbert Arena.
Sophomore Ally Bromenschenkel and senior Josie Schmidt led the balanced Rose-Hulman offensive effort with 12 points each. The balanced attack also included Alyzia Dilworth with eight points, Taylor Graham with six points and Chiarra Franklin with six points.
The Fightin' Engineers held Defiance to just 34% from the field and forced 29 turnovers to maintain a share of first place in the HCAC standings. Rose-Hulman also extended its home winning streak to 18 games, dating to February of 2015.
Kelsey Tietje led the Defiance offense with 17 points and 18 rebounds, with Erica Smay and Mekai White contributing eight points each.
Defiance jumped out to a 12-2 lead early, before Rose-Hulman outscored the Yellow Jackets 13-3 over the final 3:47 of the opening quarter to tie the score at 15-15. The tight score continued with Rose-Hulman leading 26-24 at the intermission.
Dilworth hit a jumper at the third quarter buzzer to give Rose-Hulman a 36-35 lead after three quarters. After Defiance scored four straight points to start the fourth quarter, Rose-Hulman answered with a 13-1 run over the next five minutes to gain a 49-40 lead with 4:01 left.
Two field goals by Schmidt down the stretch and two free throws by Dilworth provided the final margin of victory for the Engineers.
Rose-Hulman improved to 12-3 overall and 7-1 in league play, while Defiance dropped to 7-7 and 4-3 in conference games. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Earlham College for another in-state conference matchup on Wednesday.
