TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman men's basketball team picked up a big win over the Hanover Panthers with a final score of 81-61. The win puts the team back in the top spot in the HCAC with a record of 9-6 overall and 6-2 in the HCAC. 

This is the first win over the Panthers in the Nick Sales era, and snaps a nine-game losing streak to Hanover dating back to the 2021-22 season. 

Joey Schmitz had a monster performance with 26 points, shooting 8-12 from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc. Schmitz also led the team with seven rebounds in the contest. 

Other double-figure scorers included Evan Gentile with 16, Daniel Savovic with 14, and Nate Smith with 12. Smith was exceptional at handling the ball with a team-high six assists and no turnovers. 

The game remained close in the first half with multiple lead changes. After trailing 24-20 with 5:46 remaining in the half, Rose-Hulman put together a 13-7 run to take the lead heading into halftime with the score at 33-31. 

The Fightin' Engineers opened the second half on a 16-7 run, capped off by a made three-pointer from Gentile to stretch the team's lead to double digits with the score at 49-38. Rose-Hulman maintained their advantage for the remainder of the game, finishing strong to hand Hanover their second conference loss of the season. 

As a team, the Fightin' Engineers finished the game shooting 51.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. 

Rose-Hulman will hit the road to continue their conference schedule, taking on Franklin on Saturday, January 17, at 1 PM.