TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Anderson University buried 15 three-point shots to clinch at least a share of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball regular season championship with an 80-66 win over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Wednesday night at Hulbert Arena.
Bryson Huckeby led four Ravens in double figures with 21 points on 5-6 from 3-point range. Tate Ivanyo added 17 points, and Elijah Mattingly scored 16 points to balance the Ravens attack.
Willie Bowman paced Rose-Hulman with 19 points on 5 three-point field goals.Â
Max Chaplin added 11 points, and
Bradley Harden scored 10 points with a career-high 8 assists for the Fightin' Engineers.
With the victory, Anderson earns at least a share of the HCAC regular season championship. The No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the HCAC Tournament will be earned by the winner of Friday night's game between Manchester and Anderson.
Rose-Hulman can secure a first-round Sunday home game in the HCAC Tournament with a win over Franklin - or a loss by Transylvania at Earlham - on Friday. Other scenarios could allow Rose-Hulman to host the first-round matchup with a loss at Franklin.
Rose-Hulman held a 37-35 lead at the break after hitting 7 three-point shots in the opening 20 minutes. Aftter Bowman hit two free throws to tie the score at 54-54 with 9:40 remaining, Anderson responded with a 13-3 run to take a 67-57 lead.Â
Rose-Hulman closed back within four points at 67-63 on scores by Chaplin and
Miles McGowen at the 4:38 mark. The Ravens closed the game on a 13-3 run to secure the win.
Anderson improved to 16-8 and 14-3 in HCAC play, while Rose-Hulman stands 14-10 and 11-6 in conference games. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Franklin on Friday night. The HCAC Tournament Opening Round takes place on Sunday afternoon, with the top seed hosting semifinals and finals on Feb. 24-25.
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