TERRE HAUTE, IND. - Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rallied from a 17-point second half deficit to close within one point in the final seconds, before falling 61-58 to Transylvania University in men's basketball action on Saturday.

Transylvania earned a 43-26 lead early in the second half, before Rose-Hulman held the Pioneers without a field goal for nine minutes to trim the margin to 50-43 with 8:58 remaining.

Rose-Hulman continued its charge, as four points from senior Ron George (Louisville, Ky./Manual) and two free throws by senior Jared Moore (Indianapolis/Perry Meridian) trimmed the margin to 56-51 with 4:33 left.

Back-to-back scores from freshman Michael Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) and George brought the Engineers within one possession at 58-55 with 1:50 remaining.  After Tim Tierney of Transylvania hit one of two free throws, Moore scored on a layup with 56 seconds left to make the score 59-57.

The Engineers forced a missed three-pointer by Brock Jones on the following possession, with George grabbing the rebound.  Freshman Daniel Lowers (Gosport/Edgewood) was fouled on a drive to the basket and made one free throw to trim the margin to 59-58 with eight seconds left.

Blake McCowan answered with two free throws at the seven-second mark to give Transylvania a 61-58 edge and set the stage for Rose-Hulman's final possession.  Sophomore Jeff McCartney (Wooster, Ohio/Triway) missed a 24-foot three-pointer at the buzzer as the Pioneers picked up the victory.

Rose-Hulman placed four players in double figures in a balanced effort.  George led the way with 16 points, with Moore and Lowers adding 13 each.  Kelly pitched in with 11 points and eight rebounds in his first college start.

Matthew Parton led Transylvania with 12 points, with Tierney also reaching double figures with 11.  Rose-Hulman shot 54% from the field in the loss and held the Pioneers to 45% from the field.

Transylvania improved to 7-4 overall and 3-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, while Rose-Hulman dropped to 4-8 and 1-3 in league contests.  The Engineers travel to Mount St. Joseph in another conference matchup on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.