TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology relied on strong rebounding and free throw shooting to pick up a 79-68 men's basketball victory over Earlham College on Saturday afternoon at Hulbert Arena.
The Fightin' Engineers outrebounded Earlham 47-24 in the contest, highlighted by 16 offensive rebounds. The team also hit a season-high 31 free throws on 36 attempts, hitting at an 86% clip.
Craig McGee led three players in double figures with 19 points on 5-10 from the field, three three-point shots and a perfect 6-6 from the foul line. Nick McGrail added his first career double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Charlie Aimone also reached double figures with 13 points.
The starting balanced starting five also included John Czarnecki with nine points and a career-high 12 rebounds; and Ryuji Aoki with eight points and four assists. Key statistical contributors also included Eli Combs with six points; Zach Callahan with five points; and Jacob Back with four points and three rebounds.
Darrell Hutchison led the Earlham offense with 19 points. Double-figure scorers for the Quakers also included Kenneth Stalling with 13 points; Jamel Barnes with 11 points; and Blake Bonin with 11 points.
The tight first half started with Earlham taking a 20-14 lead midway through the opening 20 minutes. Rose-Hulman rallied to tie the score at 24, 26 and 29, before two free throws by McGee and a field goal by Combs gave Rose-Hulman a narrow 33-31 lead at the half.
In the second half, a three-pointer by McGee and two-point shots from Aoki and McGee pushed Rose-Hulman ahead 44-39 at the 13:44 mark. Earlham closed to within 56-54 on a score by Hutchison with 8:25 remaining.
Rose-Hulman scored seven straight points to push the lead to 63-54 at the six-minute mark. McGrail scored four points, McGee two and Callahan added a free throw to spark the rally. Earlham closed to within six on one occasion, before the Engineers took control down the stretch to finish off the victory.
Rose-Hulman improved to 9-4 and 5-1 in HCAC play with the victory. The Fightin' Engineers remain in a tie for the HCAC lead with Transylvania at 5-1 in league play. Earlham stands 3-10 overall and 2-4 in league contests. Rose-Hulman returns to action on Wednesday at Franklin College.
