BOX SCORE
TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology relied on a strong defensive effort to top Manchester College 59-29 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday.
Junior Austin Weatherford (Cicero/Hamilton Heights) led a balanced Rose-Hulman scoring attack with 12 points. Senior Blake Knotts (Louisville, Ky./Christian) also reached double figures with 11 points.
Jordan Moss scored a game-high 21 points on 9-15 from the field, but Rose-Hulman limited the remainder of the Spartans offense to one field goal in the victory.
Rose-Hulman held the Spartans to 17% from the field in the first half to build a 30-11 lead at the break. Rose-Hulman buried 11 of 14 free throws in the contest, held the Spartans to just 21% from the field, and outrebounded Manchester 49-30 in the victory.
Other key contributors to the Rose-Hulman offense included junior Brenton Balsbaugh (Greenville, Ohio/Arcanum) with eight points; junior Nate Gissentanner (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County) with eight points and five rebounds; sophomore James Pillischafske (Louisville, Ky./Male) with six points; and sophomore Julian Strickland (Indianapolis/Pike) with five points and seven rebounds.
Rose-Hulman jumped out to a 27-7 lead with 7:38 left in the first half by enjoying a 16-0 run over six minutes. Knotts and Weatherford keyed the offensive effort with two three-point shots each, with the team holding Manchester without a post in the six-minute spurt to secure the victory.
Rose-Hulman improved to 6-1 to match last season's seven-game record. The Fightin' Engineers also stand 2-0 in HCAC play and return to action on Saturday at 3 p.m. against Bluffton. Manchester dropped to 3-5 and 1-1 in league play.