TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Earlham College relied on a strong defensive effort to pick up a 55-43 women's basketball victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in women's basketball action on Friday night at Hulbert Arena.

Rose-Hulman trailed 26-12 at the half, before rallying to close within 29-22 late at the 4:20 mark of the third quarter.  Jordan Barlow started a run with two free throws, and Nola Wilson scored five straight points to bring the Fightin' Engineer deficit within seven points midway through the third quarter.

Earlham answered with a 12-4 run to close the quarter and take a 41-26 lead into the final 10 minutes.  Rose-Hulman rallied to within 51-43 at the 2:22 mark of the fourth quarter on two free throws from Barlow, but Earlham held the Engineers scoreless the rest of the way to pick up the victory.

Kayla Bowling led the Earlham offense with 20 points and six steals.  Emma Craig reached double figures for the Quakers with 10 points.

Wilson paced the Fightin' Engineers with a career-high 18 points on 6-10 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.  Barlow added 10 points and five rebounds.

Lindsey Thomas contributed six points, while Peyton Miller picked up five rebounds to help balance the Rose-Hulman effort.

Rose-Hulman stands 1-5 on the season, while Earlham stands 1-4.  The Fightin' Engineers and Quakers conclude their regular seasons with a rematch on Sunday at 3:30 pm in Richmond.  The HCAC Tournament bracket for the 2020-21 women's basketball event will be released Sunday night.