2017 HCAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 24 - at Rose-Hulman
Game 3 - #1 Rose-Hulman 57, #5 Franklin 41
BOX SCORE / PHOTOS / VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
VIDEO INTERVIEWS: COACH JON PREVO / ALYZIA DILWORTH
Game 4 - #3 Transylvania 61, #2 Bluffton 55
BOX SCORE / PHOTOS / VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
VIDEO INTERVIEWS: COACH JULI FULKS / CELIA KLINE
Saturday, Feb. 25 - at Rose-Hulman
Game 5 - Rose-Hulman (23-3) vs. #3 Transylvania (20-7), 5 p.m.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO
TOURNAMENT MEDIA GAME NOTES
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology advanced to the championship game of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament with a 57-41 victory over Bluffton University on Friday night at Hulbert Arena.
Rose-Hulman (23-3) will face No. 3 seeded Transylvania University (20-7), after the Pioneers defeated Bluffton University 61-55 on Friday. The championship game is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Junior Alyzia Dilworth led the Rose-Hulman offense with 15 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Junior Ally Bromenschenkel also reached double figures with 10 points.
Rose-Hulman relied on a strong defensive effort to earn the victory. The Fightin' Engineers held Franklin to 30% from the field and outrebounded the Grizzlies 48-30. Rose-Hulman also snagged 20 offensive rebounds in its 13th consecutive victory.
Kelsey Smith led the Franklin offense with 13 points. The Grizzlies completed the season with a 14-12 overall record.
Other key Rose-Hulman contributors included Abby Bromenschenkel with eight points and three assists; Josie Schmidt with seven points and eight rebounds; Chiarra Franklin with five points; and Abbie Marshall with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to go along with three points.
Franklin led 8-2 early, before Rose-Hulman rallied to knot the score at 13-13 after one quarter. Rose-Hulman outscored the Grizzlies 19-9 in the second quarter to push its lead to 32-21 at the half.
The Fightin' Engineers maintained a 10-point advantage after three quarters and held Franklin to just three field goals in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Rose-Hulman also tied its single season school record for victories with 23 in the contest.
In the other HCAC Semifinal, Transylvania University defeated Bluffton 61-55. The Pioneers trailed for much of the first half but used a big second half to advance to the HCAC Championship. TU outscored the Beavers 24-16 in the third quarter and 18-11 in the fourth to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit.
Celia Kline scored 15 points for Transylvania on the strength of 5-7 shooting. Ashton Woodard scored 12 points for TU off of the bench. Kaycee Rowe scored a game-high 18 points for Bluffton. The Beavers concluded their season with a record of 21-5.
The HCAC Championship Game will take place Saturday at 5 p.m. at Hulbert Arena on the Rose-Hulman campus. Live in-game statistics and live video links for the championship game are available on the tournament website (http://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/sports/wbkb/2016-17/releases/HCACTourney). The championship game will be broadcast live by Wabash Valley Sports (https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wabashvalleysports)
Admission to the HCAC Tournament is available for $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and non-HCAC affiliated students. Children under 3 and HCAC students, faculty and staff are admitted free with valid campus identification.
