TERRE HAUTE, IND. -
Manchester College junior Jason Spindler blocked Rose-Hulman's game
tying field goal attempt at the buzzer to preserve a 57-55 Spartans
victory on Wednesday night.
Rose-Hulman sophomore Jon Gerken (Defiance, Ohio/Tinora) caught a lob pass in the lane with 1.6 seconds remaining, but his game tying shot was blocked by the 6-10 Spindler shortly before the buzzer as Manchester held on for its fourth league victory.
Manchester held an eight-point lead at 45-37 with 12:18 left in the second half, before Rose-Hulman closed within five on three occasions, including 49-44 on a score by freshman Julian Strickland (Indianapolis/Pike) at the 9:11 mark.
Rose-Hulman battled to within one point at 51-50 on a score by Strickland, 54-53 on a three-pointer by freshman James Pillischafske (Louisville, Ky.) and 56-55 with 23 seconds on a score by sophomore Nate Gissentanner (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County).
Tyler Delauder made one of two free throws to push the Manchester lead to 57-55 with 15 seconds left. After a miss on the second free throw, Rose-Hulman looked for the final shot and called a timeout with 1.6 seconds left to set the stage for the final possession.
Gissentanner paced Rose-Hulman with 12 points and seven rebounds. Strickland scored 10 points, with Gerken, sophomore Austin Weatherford (Cicero/Hamilton Heights) and junior Spencer Harlan (Terre Haute/South) adding seven points each.
Mitch Schaefer scored 15 points to pace three Manchester players in double figures. Jordan Moss added 14 points and Nathan Ferch scored 13 for the Spartans.
Manchester improved to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in league play, while Rose-Hulman stands 9-3 overall and 3-2 in conference matchups. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Bluffton University on Saturday.