updated 02/10/2007

Suzy Carlson scored a season-high 29 points in the victory.

TERRE HAUTE, IND. – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology senior Suzy Carlson (State College, Pa.) scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Engineers past Defiance College 77-61 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball action on Saturday.

Carlson finished 7-13 from the field and 13-14 from the free-throw line with a pair of three-point shots.  Junior Liz Ridgway (Grosse Pointe, Mich./ Northwestern U.) also reached double figures with 12 points.

With the victory, Rose-Hulman improved to 21-3 on the season and set up a showdown with Manchester College for the HCAC regular season title next Saturday.

Manchester currently leads the league at 13-1 in conference play, with Rose-Hulman just behind at 13-2.  The two teams square off at Hulbert Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Other key contributors to the Rose-Hulman offense included junior Katie Tharp (Linton) with eight points and six rebounds; senior Rebekah Forsyth (Farmersburg/N. Central) with eight points and five rebounds; and junior Candace Procter (Southfield, Mich./Groves) with six points and three assists.

Liz Ridgway reached double figures with 12 points and five rebounds.

Katie McNamara led the Defiance offense with 21 points, including five three-pointers.  Sarah Grime came off the bench for 16 points.

Rose-Hulman buried 30 of 36 free throw attempts, the second-most free throws in a game in school history.  Carlson hit 13 tosses, while Ridgway finished a perfect 4-4.

The Engineers also shot 49% from the field in the game, including 52% in a 40-point first-half effort.  Defiance led by a 14-6 margin early in the half, but a quick 8-0 run featuring five points by Carlson and a three-point play by Tharp knotted the score at 14-14.

Rose-Hulman then jumped out to a 26-20 lead on back-to-back conventional three-point plays by Procter and Forsyth.  The lead stretched to seven points at the break.

In the second half, Defiance rallied to tie the score at 43-43, before another quick 8-0 run gave the Engineers a cushion.  Carlson and Procter hit three-pointers and Tharp scored a layup in the spurt.

Defiance closed to within seven points one time down the stretch, but Rose-Hulman held the Yellow Jackets to two points over a five-minute span to turn a 56-49 lead into a 64-53 edge and secure the win.

Rose-Hulman and Manchester close the regular season with their matchup next Saturday at Hulbert Arena, and the HCAC tournament will be hosted by the league champion on Feb. 23-24.

Return to the Engineers' Women's Basketball page