updated 02/17/2007

Rebekah Forsyth had a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

TERRE HAUTE, IND. – Manchester College sophomore Sarah Bose banked in a 10-foot jump shot with 0.6 seconds remaining to lift the Spartans to a 64-62 win over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in front of a record Hulbert Arena crowd on Saturday.

The Spartans captured the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with the victory, and Rose-Hulman holds the No. 2 seed for next weekend's league tournament at Manchester College.

Rose-Hulman rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to take a 60-54 advantage in front of a crowd of 1,950.  The crowd was the second-largest in Engineer women's basketball history and set a Hulbert Arena basketball record.

Manchester turned a 60-54 deficit into a 61-60 lead with 1:20 left after two field goals by Stacey Wendel and a three-pointer by Kelley Meiklejohn.  A free throw by Sarah Bose increased the Spartans lead to 62-60 with 29 seconds left.

A record crowd of more than 1,900 made a wonderful atmosphere at Hulbert Arena.

Rose-Hulman knotted the score on its next possession, as senior Rebekah Forsyth (Farmersburg/N. Central) banked in a layup to tie the score at 62-62 with 13.5 seconds left.  Following a Spartan timeout, Bose drove the lane and hit the 10-foot jump shot with 0.6 seconds remaining.

With the victory, Manchester improved to 19-6 overall and 15-1 in HCAC play.  The win secured homecourt advantage for the league tournament scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Rose-Hulman completed the regular season with a 21-4 record and a 13-3 conference mark.  The Engineers will square off with Transylvania University in opening round play in the four-team tournament, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Suzy Carlson had 10 points and six assists.

Forsyth paced Rose-Hulman's attack with 23 points and 12 rebounds.  Junior Katie Tharp (Linton) added 12 points and five rebounds, while senior Suzy Carlson (State College, Pa.) scored 10 points and dished out six assists.

Bose led the Manchester offense with 20 points on 7-13 from the field.  Meiklejohn also reached double figures with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Manchester built a 36-28 halftime lead on the heels of 58% shooting from the field.  Rose-Hulman relied on 52% shooting in the second half, including four three-pointers, to make its charge.

The Engineers also celebrated Senior Day on Saturday.  Carlson, Forsyth, Katie Hamstra (Indianapolis/Park Tudor) and Karyn Kost (Avon) were honored for their four years in the program during post-game ceremonies.

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