BOX SCORE
TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology women's basketball team earned its first victory of the season with a 61-49 decision over Bluffton University on Saturday at Hulbert Arena.
Four Engineers placed in double figures in scoring in the balanced attack. Senior Alisa Dickerson (Elizabethtown, Ky.) led the Engineers with her 20th career double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Freshman Sheree Williams (Bluffton, S.C.) added 13 points, with sophomore Heather Finnell (Decatur, Tenn./Cleveland) adding 11 points.
Junior Kelsey Ploof (Noblesville) contributed 10 points and three assists in her first start of the season. Freshman Grace Gibbs (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) rounded out a balanced effort from the starters with eight points and eight rebounds.
Lauren Hutton led the Bluffton offense with 11 points and six rebounds. Mikayla Coburn came off the bench for eight points, with Kylee Burkhoder scoring seven.
Rose-Hulman turned a 20-20 tie into a 29-22 lead with 35 seconds left in the first half with a 7-2 run capped by a three-pointer by Williams. The Rose-Hulman lead reached 10 points at 39-29 on a three-point play by Gibbs at the 15:09 mark of the second half.
Bluffton rallied with a 12-2 run to knot the score at 41-41 with 9:42 left in the contest. The Engineers withstood the charge and rallied with their own 14-4 spurt to claim a 55-45 lead at the 3:42 mark after two free throws by Dickerson and a layup by Finnell.
Rose-Hulman improved to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in league play, while Bluffton dropped to 2-5 and 0-3 in conference games. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Hanover College next Saturday.