BOX SCORE
TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology improved to 10-10 on the season and 6-7 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball play with a 52-44 win over Anderson University on Wednesday at Hulbert Arena.
Freshman Addie Johnson (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) led the Rose-Hulman scoring attack with 15 points and tied a career-high with six assists. Freshman Cassidy Cain (Noblesville) also reached double figures with a career-high 14 points.
Sophomore Gracie Gibbs (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) scored nine points for the Engineers, junior Kelsey Ploof (Noblesville) scored eight points, and sophomore Sheree Williams (Bluffton, S.C.) pitched in six for the balanced scoring attack.
Jenna Wittenberg led the Anderson offense with 12 points, and Ashley Wuestefeld also reached double figures with 10 points. The Ravens were held to 32% from the field in the game, while Rose-Hulman shot 58% for their best shooting performance in a game since 2007.
With the victory, Rose-Hulman retained a one-game lead over Bluffton in the battle for the sixth spot in the HCAC standings. Six teams will qualify for next month's HCAC Tournament.
The two teams battled to a 9-9 tie early in the first half, before a 12-3 Rose-Hulman run gave the Engineers a 21-12 edge on a score by Gibbs at the 5:16 mark. Anderson narrowly trimmed the margin to 27-20 at the half.
Anderson opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 30-29 lead on a Wuestefeld basket at the 15:12 mark. Rose-Hulman answered with a layup by Johnson and a three-pointer by Williams at the 13:00 mark to reclaim a 34-30 lead.
The two teams battled to ties at 36, 38, 41 and 44, before the Rose-Hulman defense stepped up and held Anderson without a point over the final 2:40. Three-pointers by Cain and Johnson, along with four more points from Cain, helped secure the Rose-Hulman victory.
Rose-Hulman travels to HCAC leader Transylvania on Saturday. Anderson dropped to 5-15 overall and 4-9 in league play.