TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ran its win streak to 13 games on Wednesday night following a 74-52 win over Mount St. Joseph. The Fightin' Engineers also defended the nation's longest NCAA Division III women's basketball home winning streak, increasing the streak to 33 straight wins in Hulbert Arena.
Both teams battled from the opening tip. MSJ got out to an early 8-6 lead behind a pair of threes from Alehia Tucker. Rose-Hulman battled back and managed to snag a close 16-13 lead following the first 10 minutes of action. Rose-Hulman increased their hold over the Lions in the second quarter, outscoring MSJ 21-13. The Fightin' Engineers shot a healthy 51.7% (15-29) from the field in the opening half and the team also made four of eight three-point attempts. Senior Alyzia Dilworth paced the Rose-Hulman offense in the first 20 minutes of play with 11 points, three steals, and a block. RHIT's defense managed to press Mount St. Joseph into 11 turnovers in the first half.
Mount St. Joseph remained close following the intermission due in large part to their perimeter shooting. The Lions made 8-15 (53.3%) threes in the game. The Fightin' Engineers came out ready offensively in the third quarter shooting 50% (8-16) from the field. Rose took a 12-point lead into the final quarter, 56-44.
Rose-Hulman's defense came up big in the fourth quarter as the Fightin' Engineers held Mount St. Joseph to just eight points in the final frame. Rose-Hulman put together its most efficient quarter of the game, shooting 62% (8-13) from the floor to seal the win.
Alyzia Dilworth led Rose-Hulman with 18 points, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Dilworth nailed four three-pointers and shot 7-11 from the floor in the contest. Junior Ally Bromenschenkel contributed 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Both Taylor Graham and Abby Bromenschenkel scored nine points. Chiarra Franklin scored eight points and grabbed seven boards in 25 minutes off the bench. Debie Gedeon grabbed a career-high eight boards on Wednesday night.
For the game Rose-Hulman assisted on 19 of its 31 made field goals and the Fightin' Engineers shot 53.4% (31-58) from the floor. Rose-Hulman outrebounded Mount 37-22 and RHIT pressured the Lions into 21 turnovers.
The win over Mount moved RHIT's overall record to 15-3. Rose-Hulman also remained a perfect 11-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. Mount St. Joseph is still in the mix for an HCAC Tournament berth at 5-6 in league play. The Lions fell to 9-9 overall. Rose-Hulman will have a stout test on Saturday January 24 when the Fightin' Engineers host the Transylvania Pioneers. Heading into Wednesday's contest Transylvania was in second place in the HCAC standings with an overall record of 12-4, and a league mark of 8-2. Tipoff from Hulbert Arena will be set for 1 p.m.
