PHOTOS

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman men's basketball team suffered an HCAC loss to Hanover on Wednesday night with a final score of 73-67. This drops the team to 12-9 overall and 9-5 in the HCAC this season.

The Fightin' Engineers were led by Joey Schmitz recording 15 points, seven assists, and six steals in the contest. Other double-figure scorers included Kobe Stoudemire with 14 points and Miles McGowen with 13 points.

Both teams started the game off strong defensively, setting the tone for a physical battle for all 40 minutes. Rose-Hulman cut the Hanover lead to four at 20-16 with 7:40 remaining in the half, but the Panthers hit threes on four of their next five possessions to extend their lead out to 33-19. They would enter the locker room with a 38-28 advantage after making nine threes in the first half, despite only averaging 7.5 makes per game this season.

Rose-Hulman was able to cut the lead to seven multiple times in the second half, but the Hanover Panthers controlled the lead and would not let the Fightin' Engineers get any closer. Hanover stretched the lead to 14 at the final media timeout with a 66-52 advantage, but the Fightin' Engineers went on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to five with just 1:24 remaining thanks to a pair of threes by Kobe Stoudemire and a big and-one by Benny Smith.

After a defensive stop on the other end, Rose-Hulman had multiple chances to cut the lead to one possession, but they were unable to do so and Hanover would ice the game with free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 73-67 victory.

With the loss, the Fightin' Engineers fall to 12-9 on the season and drop into the fifth spot in the HCAC standings at 9-5 overall. The team returns to action on Saturday, February 8, as they hit the road to battle the #25 Anderson Ravens.