TERRE HAUTE,
IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology placed four players in double figures to top Bluffton
University 66-44 in women's basketball action on
Saturday.
Sophomore Lauren Meadows (Indianapolis/Brebeuf) led the Engineers with 18 points. Junior Alisa Dickerson (Elizabethtown, Ky.) added her 17th career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Senior Donna Marsh (Mobile, Ala./Baker) added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Freshman Heather Finnell (Decatur, Tenn./Cleveland) pitched in with 10 points and a career-high eight assists.
Brittany Stegmaier led the Bluffton offense with 20 points, and Lauren Hutton reached double figures with 16.
With the victory, Rose-Hulman moved into sixth place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings, one game ahead of Bluffton with two regular season games left. The top six finishing teams will qualify for the HCAC Tournament.
Rose-Hulman shot 62% from the field in the first half to build a 35-19 advantage at the break. The Engineers jumped out to a 15-2 lead at the 11:05 mark, capped by two free throws and a three-pointer by Meadows. Bluffton trimmed the margin to seven points at 17-10, but scores from freshman Kelsey Ploof (Noblesville) and Marsh put Rose-Hulman ahead 29-16.
In the second half, Bluffton cut the lead to 36-27 on back-to-back three-pointers by Stegmaier. Rose-Hulman answered with a 13-2 run to capture a 20-point lead at 49-29 and secure the victory.
Rose-Hulman improved to 9-14 overall and 7-9 in league play, while Bluffton dropped to 9-14 and 6-10. The Engineers host HCAC leader Hanover College on Wednesday at 7:30.