TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology shot 59.6% from the field and relied on a balanced scoring attack to earn a convincing 84-48 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball victory over Defiance College on Saturday afternoon at Hulbert Arena.
Charlie Aimone and Luke Callahan led the Rose-Hulman offense with 17 points each. Aimone added six rebounds, while Callahan was 7-8 from the field with four rebounds and three assists.
Ryuji Aoki also reached double figures with 10 points and three assists on the day. The scoring attack also included Jacob Back with a career-high eight points and three rebounds; John Czarnecki with six points and three rebounds; and Trey Sykes with five points and three rebounds.
Overall, 12 players scored and 10 players had four or more points for the Fightin' Engineer offense.
Rose-Hulman also relied on its defense in the victory. The Fightin' Engineers outrebounded Defiance 42-30 and held the visiting Yellow Jackets to just 26% shooting for the game.
The contested starting with baskets each way and Rose-Hulman holding a narrow 25-22 advantage midway through the first half. The Fightin' Engineers closed the first half on a 21-2 run over the last 10 minutes to take a 46-24 lead into the locker room and gain control of the contest.
The win continued Rose-Hulman's recent overall hot streak. The men's basketball team has now won two games in a row and eight of its last nine matchups.
With the victory, Rose-Hulman improved to 12-4 and 8-2 in HCAC play, while Defiance dropped to 2-15 and 0-10 in league games. The Fightin' Engineers return to action at home on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., when they welcome Mount St. Joseph to Hulbert Arena for Milwaukee Tool Night.
