BOX SCORE
NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology successfully defended a three-point shot by Manchester College in the final seconds to earn a 56-53 road victory on Wednesday night.
Rose-Hulman held a three-point lead after a missed free throw with nine seconds remaining after a Manchester timeout. Grant Newlin fired a three-point shot in the waning seconds that missed, and Rose-Hulman secured the rebound for the victory.
Sophomore Julian Strickland (Indianapolis/Pike) paced Rose-Hulman's offensive effort with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Senior Blake Knotts (Louisville, Ky./Christian) also reached double figures with 12 points.
Other key contributors for Rose-Hulman included senior Jason Haslag (Linn, Mo./Helias Interparrish) and junior Austin Weatherford (Cicero/Hamilton Heights) with seven points each. Junior Jon Gerken (Defiance, Ohio/Tinora) added five points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Jordan Moss led three Manchester players in double figures with 15 points. Jason Spindler added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Newlin scored 10 points.
Rose-Hulman shot 40% from the field in the contest but relied on 10 three-pointers to secure the victory. Manchester shot 59% from the field in the first half to build a 31-24 lead, but Rose-Hulman held the Spartans to just 29% in the second half.
Rose-Hulman scored the first seven points of the second half to tie the score at 31, then took the lead on a three-pointer by Weatherford at the 14:47 mark.
Manchester regained the lead at 45-43 on a Newlin three-pointer at the 8:21 mark. The Engineers held the Spartans without a point for the next six minutes to earn a 10-0 run and gain a 53-47 lead after a three-pointer by Knotts at the 2:40 mark.
Manchester closed to within 53-50 on a Moss three-pointer, but another trey by Knotts pushed Rose-Hulman's lead to 56-50. Moss answered with another three-pointer to bring Manchester to 56-53, setting the stage for the final two possessions.
Rose-Hulman improved to 14-4 overall and 8-3 in HCAC play, while Manchester dropped to 7-11 and 5-6 in league games. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Mount St. Joseph on Saturday.