NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. -- Anderson University withstood a second half comeback charge from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to earn its first ever Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament championship with a 73-55 win on Saturday night.

Rose-Hulman trailed by 15 points early in the second half, before the Fightin' Engineers rallied to close within 57-51 with 5:23 remaining.  Bradley Harden buried a three-pointer, Miles McGowen hit a free throw and Willie Bowman capped the spurt with a 3-pointer in the right corner.

Anderson responded the next nine points to increase the lead to 66-51 and secure the victory.  The Ravens return to the NCAA Division III Tournament for just the second time in program history and the first time since 2010.

McGowen led the Rose-Hulman offense with 19 points and 7 rebounds.  Max Chaplin contributed 16 points to the effort.  Following the championship game, McGowen and Chaplin earned spots on the HCAC All-Tournament Team.

Other key contributors for Rose-Hulman included Bowman with 8 points and 7 rebounds; and Terry Hicks with 6 points and 3 rebounds.

Camden Smith paced Anderson with 19 points, and Tate Ivanyo scored 17 pints for the Ravens.  Ivanyo was named the HCAC Tournament MVP after grabbing 10 rebounds to record a championship game double-double.

Anderson enters the NCAA Division III Tournament with a record of 18-9.  Rose-Hulman completes a successful first season under head coach Nick Sales with a 17-11 mark and its 7th HCAC championship game appearance since 2012.