SPRINGFIELD, ILL. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology relied on two key defensive plays and a pair of free throws in the final minute to hold off Robert Morris-Springfield 70-64 in men's basketball action on Tuesday night.

With Rose-Hulman holding a narrow 64-63 lead and Robert Morris gaining a steal, senior Jeff McCartney (Wooster, Ohio/ Triway) drew a charge on guard Emmanuel Boston with 36.7 seconds left.

After a pair of free throws by sophomore Blake Knotts (Louisville, Ky./ Christian) increased the lead to 66-63, freshman Nate Gissentanner (Conyers, Ga./ Rockdale County) swiped a steal and went the distance for a layup to give Rose-Hulman a 68-63 lead in the final seconds.

Gissentanner led three Rose-Hulman players in double figures with 19 points on 6-10 from the field.  Sophomore Spencer Harlan (Terre Haute/South) also reached double figures with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Knotts rounded out the double figure scorers with 12 points.  McCartney added nine points, and freshman Jon Gerken (Defiance, Ohio/Tinora) came off the bench for seven points and five rebounds.

Robert Morris relied on the dual attack of Trey David and Ephrem Davis to remain in the contest.  David scored 22 points with five assists, while Davis was 10-13 from the field with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Both teams showcased their offense in the first four minutes, with the score tied at 11.  The two teams continued the tight battle with another tie at 21-21 with 9:32 left in the first half.

After ties once again at 23 and 25, Robert Morris jumped out to a four-point lead at 29-25 with 3:00 left in the opening half.

Two free throws by Harlan and a three-pointer by Knotts brought Rose-Hulman's margin to within 31-30.  Robert Morris answered with a pair of field goals to take a 35-31 lead into the locker room.

The Eagles increased their lead to eight points with back-to-back three-pointers early in the second half, but a steady Rose-Hulman run helped turn the tide.

The Engineers scored nine straight points to gain a 51-45 lead with 12:50 left in the contest.  Two field goals by Harlan, another trey by Knotts and two free throws from Gissentanner completed the run.

Rose-Hulman's lead reach seven points at 59-52 on a jumper by freshman Austin Weatherford (Cicero/Hamilton Heights) at the 7:29 mark of the second half.  Robert Morris closed to within 63-61, before a Gissentanner free throw at the 3:00 mark pushed the Engineer edge to 64-61.

Rose-Hulman improved to 2-2 on the season and returns to action with its home opener against Blackburn College on Sunday at 7 p.m.  Robert Morris-Springfield dropped to 3-5 overall with the defeat.