TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology defended a potential game tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to pick up a 66-63 win at Manchester University and advance to Saturday night's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game.
With the victory, Rose-Hulman will face Anderson University in the HCAC Tournament Championship at 6 pm on Saturday night. The game will be played at Manchester University, and the winning team will advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Miles McGowen scored a career-high 27 points and added 14 rebounds to lead the Rose-Hulman offense.Â
Willie Bowman added 12 points, including a key shot in the final minute to help secure the victory.
Rose-Hulman led 62-51, before Manchester within 64-60 on a 3-pointer by Zach Sawyer with 1:27 remaining. Rose-Hulman worked the shot clock on the next possession, and Bowman hit a 15-foot jumper with the 0:56 left to make the score 66-60.
Quentez Columbus scored a conventional 3-point play on the next possession to lower the Rose-Hulman lead to 66-63. The Fightin' Engineers ran the shot clock on the next possession before missing a running jumper, and Manchester gained possession with 10 seconds remaining down by 3 points.
The Spartans missed a 3-pointer at the top of the key but grabbed the offensive rebound to get one last shot at the tie. A 3-pointer on the left wing rimmed out at the buzzer, and Rose-Hulman gained the 66-63 win.
Other key Rose-Hulman contributors included
Max Chaplin with 8 points and 3 assists;
Bradley Harden with 7 points and 6 assists; and
Terry Hicks with 4 points and 5 rebounds.
Ty Lynas led the Manchester offense with 17 points, and Quentez Columbus scored 16 for the Spartans.
Rose-Hulman improves to 17-10 on the season and advances to the HCAC Tournament Championship Game for the first time since 2020 under first-year head coach
Nick Sales. The Fightin' Engineers have also reached the HCAC title game for the 7th time in the last 14 years. Manchester completes the season at 16-10.
